The Ceará gnateater or Caatinga gnateater is a passerine bird of the gnateater family, Conopophagidae. It is found in forest understory and bushes in northeastern Brazil.
Region
Northeastern Brazil
Typical Environment
Occurs in the forest understory and dense scrub of the Caatinga and dry forest enclaves of northeastern Brazil. It favors tangled vine thickets, secondary woodland edges, and gallery forests along seasonal streams. The species keeps to shaded, cluttered microhabitats with abundant leaf litter and low perches. It can persist in moderately disturbed areas provided dense cover remains. Local presence is patchy, reflecting habitat continuity and understory density.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 900 m
Climate Zone
Arid
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The Ceará gnateater, also called the Caatinga gnateater, is a shy understory bird that stays close to the ground in dense thickets. Males show a striking black face mask with a crisp white moustachial stripe, while females are duller and more rufous. It is often detected by its clear, repetitive whistles rather than by sight. Pairs maintain small territories and perform subtle wing-flicking displays during courtship.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief low flights
Social Behavior
Usually found alone or in pairs in dense understory. Pairs defend small territories and communicate with soft contact calls and whistles. Nests are low, cup-like structures placed in shrubs or vine tangles; both sexes likely share incubation and care.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A series of clear, evenly spaced whistles that carry through dense vegetation. Calls include soft chips and short trills given from low perches. Vocalizations are often the first clue to its presence.
Plumage
Compact, round-bodied gnateater with smooth plumage; rich rufous underparts and warmer brown upperparts. Male shows a contrasting black facial mask, grayish crown, and a sharp white moustachial stripe; female is duller with weaker facial contrast. Tail is short and often held cocked. Plumage appears unpatterned on the body but with crisp facial markings in males.
Diet
Feeds mainly on small insects and other arthropods taken from leaf litter, low foliage, and trunks. It uses short sallies from low perches and quick hops on the ground to glean prey. Occasionally hawks briefly for flying insects and may follow small ant swarms to capture flushed invertebrates. Foraging is methodical and close to cover.
Preferred Environment
Dense understory, vine tangles, and scrubby thickets within dry forest and caatinga mosaics. Often near streambeds, edges of gallery forest, and regenerating secondary woodland where cover is thick.
