Spot-winged Antshrike

The spot-winged antshrike (Pygiptila stellaris) is a species of bird in subfamily Myrmornithinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, and possibly French Guiana. == Taxonomy and systematics == The spot-winged antshrike was described and illustrated by the German naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix in 1825 and given the binomial name Thamnophilus stellaris. The current genus Pygiptila was erected by the English zoologist Philip Sclater in 1858. The spot-winged antshrike is the only member of that genus. The further taxonomy of the spot-winged antshrike is unsettled. The International Ornithological Committee and the Clements taxonomy assign it these four subspecies: P. s. maculipennis (Sclater, PL, 1855) P. s. occipitalis Zimmer, JT, 1932 P. s. purusiana Todd, 1927 P. s. stellaris (von Spix, 1825) However, BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World recognizes only two subspecies and includes P. s. maculipennis and P. s. purusiana within the nominate P. s. stellaris. This article follows the four-subspecies model. == Description == The spot-winged antshrike is 12 to 13.5 cm (4.7 to 5.3 in) long and weighs 23 to 27 g (0.81 to 0.95 oz). It has a short tail and…