The black-chinned antbird is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Region
Amazon Basin and the Guianas
Typical Environment
Occurs in northern South America across Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. Prefers seasonally flooded várzea and igapó forests, river islands, and dense second growth along large rivers and oxbow lakes. It keeps to the understory and tangles near water, often within a few meters of the ground. The species is patchy, tracking suitable riparian thickets and early-successional riverine habitat created by flooding and sediment deposition.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This small antbird is closely tied to river-edge thickets and seasonally flooded forests in the Amazon and Guianas. Males have a distinctive black chin and throat, which gives the species its name, while females are browner and lack the dark bib. It often forages low in dense vegetation and may occasionally attend army-ant swarms, though it is not a strict ant-follower. Its reliance on dynamic river habitats makes it a characteristic voice of floodplain forests.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually found as pairs that maintain territories year-round in dense riverside thickets. Nests are placed low, typically in shrubs or tangles over or near water, and both sexes participate in care. It forages quietly, moving methodically through vine tangles and low branches.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a short series of clear, whistled notes that may slightly rise then fall, delivered from concealed perches. Calls include dry chips and sharp tacks used in contact between pair members.
