The black-breasted gnateater is a species of bird in the family Conopophagidae. It is found in Amazonian Brazil.
Region
Amazon Basin
Typical Environment
Occurs in lowland rainforests of Amazonian Brazil, favoring dense understory in terra firme and occasionally seasonally flooded (várzea) forests. It keeps near the forest floor along shaded trails, vine tangles, bamboo stands, and edges of treefall gaps. The species is patchily distributed and often tied to interfluvial forests south of the Amazon River. Human disturbance and deforestation can limit its occurrence in fragmented landscapes.
Altitude Range
0–600 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This elusive understory bird of the Amazon often keeps to dense vine tangles and bamboo thickets, making it easier to hear than to see. Males show a distinctive black breast that helps separate it from similar gnateaters. It forages close to the ground, sallying short distances to snap up insects. Habitat loss in parts of the southeastern Amazon may affect local populations.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with low, darting sallies
Social Behavior
Usually encountered singly or in pairs maintaining small territories in dense understory. Pairs remain in contact with soft calls and can duet. Nests are placed low, often in tangles or saplings, with both parents involved in care.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a clear, whistled series of evenly spaced notes that carry well through dense forest. Calls include soft chips and a sharp tchk used for contact and alarm.
Plumage
Compact, round-bodied gnateater with smooth, close-fitting plumage; male shows a bold black breast contrasting with paler throat and chestnut-brown upperparts. Female is duller with warmer brown underparts and reduced or absent black on the breast. Both sexes have neat, clean feathering suited to the understory.
Diet
Primarily small arthropods such as ants, beetles, spiders, and other insects. It gleans from leaves and twigs and makes short sallies to capture prey just above the ground. Occasionally hawks insects flushed by its own movement or by other animals.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in the shaded understory, especially in vine tangles, bamboo stands, and along fallen logs or trail edges. Often forages within 1–2 meters of the ground in dense cover.
