Black Antbird

About the Black Antbird

The black antbird (Cercomacroides serva) is a species of passerine bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The black antbird was described by the English zoologist Philip Sclater in 1858 and given the binomial name Pyriglena serva. It was later included in genus Cercomacra but when a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 found that Cercomacra was polyphyletic, the genus was split to create two monophyletic genera, and six species including the black antbird were moved to the newly erected genus Cercomacroides.

The black antbird is monotypic. The black antbird is 13.5 to 15 cm (5.3 to 5.9 in) long and weighs 15 to 17 g (0.53 to 0.60 oz). Males are almost entirely blackish to dark gray. They have a white patch between their scapulars, a small hidden white patch under the scapulars, gray edges on their flight feathers, and white tips on their wing coverts. Females have an olive-tinged dark gray crown, upperparts, wings, and tail with a small white interscapular patch. Their wing coverts and the edges of their flight feathers... Wikipedia →