A retiring bird of thickets, forest edge, and other tangled vegetation. Distinctive song is heard regularly and pairs are usually within earshot of each other, but antshrikes generally remain hidden. The sexes look very different, but both have a spiky crest that is often raised. Male is barred black-and-white in ‘convict stripes,’ whereas female looks a lot like a wren with a stout bill that has a slightly hooked tip.