Cercomacroides nigrescens
The Blackish Antbird, Cercomacroides nigrescens, is a subtly beautiful and often elusive passerine belonging to the Thamnophilidae family, commonly known as antbirds. Males are predominantly dark slate-gray to blackish, measuring around 14-15 cm in length and weighing 14-18 grams, featuring a small white patch between the scapulars (often concealed) and a prominent white wing-bar formed by white tips on the greater coverts, sometimes with a second, fainter bar on the median coverts; a narrow,...
Found primarily in the understory of lowland tropical evergreen forests, forest borders, secondary growth, and dense scrub, typically up to 1000 meters in elevation.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on a variety of insects and spiders gleaned from foliage and bark in the forest understory.
Blackish Antbirds are diurnal and generally skulking, preferring dense vegetation where they are more often heard than seen. They are insectivorous, foraging actively for arthropods by gleaning from foliage, twigs, and bark, often with a characteristic tail-wagging motion. Pairs are largely monog...
The Blackish Antbird is widely distributed across the northern and western Amazon Basin, extending into southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, northern Bolivia, and the western and central Brazilian Amazon. Its range also encompasses the Guianas (Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana...
Least Concern
- The genus name 'Cercomacroides' roughly translates to 'long-tailed ant-thrush-like,' highlighting its physical characteristics and taxonomic relationships. - Despite its name, the 'Blackish Antbird' (referring to the male's plumage) shows remarkable variation in female coloration across its sub...