Black-hooded Antshrikes (Thamnophilus bridgesi) are common in the southern Pacific lowlands and foothills of Costa Rica and western Panama. These rather bold and curious birds would often come over to see what I was doing when I was exploring the trails around Las Caletas Lodge in Costa Rica. Unfortunately, these birds always seemed to arrive just when I was busy photographing something else, but I did manage to get a few photos of a particularly nosy male Black-hooded Antshrike.

Male Black-hooded Antshrikes are black with small white spots on the upper parts of the wings. The females are browner and streaked with white.

Black-hooded Antshrikes are found at the edges of the jungle, in second growth forests, and in mangroves, where they hunt for insects and spiders amongst the leaves.

Interestingly, a Black-hooded Antshrike will beat its tail to accent each note of its repeated nasal calls, a characteristic it shares with other antbirds.