The southern chestnut-tailed antbird, or chestnut-tailed antbird, is a species of passerine bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru.
Region
Western Amazon Basin
Typical Environment
Occurs in lowland rainforests of southeastern Peru, northern Bolivia, and southwestern Amazonian Brazil (e.g., Acre). It inhabits dense understory of terra firme and seasonally flooded várzea forests, with a particular affinity for bamboo and vine tangles. The species keeps close to the ground, typically within the lowest 2–3 meters of vegetation along forest edges, stream margins, and oxbow lakes. It is a non-migratory resident throughout suitable habitat.
Altitude Range
0–800 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A skulking understory antbird of the western Amazon, it is most often detected by its duet songs rather than seen. It favors dense thickets, especially bamboo (Guadua), and will occasionally attend army-ant swarms to snatch flushed arthropods. The prominently chestnut tail is a key field mark as it flicks through shadowy understory. Pairs maintain year-round territories and communicate frequently with soft calls and duets.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually encountered in pairs that defend small territories year-round. Nests are placed low in dense vegetation, with both sexes participating in care. They sometimes join mixed-species flocks in the understory but more often forage independently or as a pair.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a clear, accelerating series of whistles often delivered as male–female duets. Calls include sharp chips and soft contact notes, used to maintain pair cohesion in dense cover.
