Cercomacroides

Cercomacroides is a genus of antbirds in the family Thamnophilidae. These birds live in tropical areas from southern Central America to northern South America. There are six known species in this genus. They mostly live in the Amazon rainforest and on the east side of the Andes Mountains.These birds used to be part of the genus Cercomacra, but scientists made a new genus in 2014 after studying their DNA.The genus Cercomacroides includes six confirmed species. All species are classified as “Least Concern” (LC) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

These birds are small. Males are black or dark grey. Females are orange-brown or olive. There is clear sexual dimorphism. They live in tropical rainforests and feed on insects. Some species follow army ants to catch prey. Their songs are duets between mates, but not sung at the same time. This is a key trait of the genus. Their nests hang between vines or shrubs. Both parents build the nest, sit on the eggs, and feed the chicks.