Dusky Antbird

How to find it

Listen first for the whistled song, which is easily imitated. Check army ant swarms, where birds came out boldly, and tangles at forest edges. Scan tangled vines at eye level or lower, since it picks insects off twigs and leaves there. Forest edges and garden margins can show it, and tour groups saw it skulking in heliconias near the Pacific coast and around La Caldera. Around Carara the forest is rather open, so it is relatively easy to see. Even so, one group only caught glimpses of a pair, so patience helps.

How to recognise it

This is a small bird, about 14.5 cm long and about 18 g, with a black bill and grey legs.

The adult male is slate grey above and paler grey below, with hidden white patches at the base of the wings and back. He shows two white wing bars on a blackish grey body with a paler grey belly. In Costa Rica he is told from other antwrens by a broad white wingbar, a speckled shoulder and broad white tips on the tail.

The female is olive brown above and cinnamon rufous below, more orange on the throat. Among Costa Rica's antwrens, her rusty belly is unique.

What it sounds like

Recording: Tommy Andriollo, CC BY 4.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

It eats many kinds of insects and spiders. Singles, pairs and family groups forage on or near the ground, within about 5 m of it, and pairs usually stay together all year. It rarely joins mixed flocks, and only briefly.

At Carara, a tour group saw Dusky Antbirds behave cooperatively at an army ant swarm, where birds came out boldly despite their usual skulking in tangles.

Where it lives

It lives in understory thickets of wet forest, especially at edges and clearings, and in tall secondary growth next to forest. In Costa Rica it is common on both the Caribbean and Pacific slopes. Across its whole range, photo and sound records span roughly 29 m to 2,109 m elevation. In its wider range it is mostly found below about 1,000 to 1,200 m, so in Costa Rica expect lowland and foothill forest rather than high cloud forest.

When to see it

In Costa Rica and Panama the breeding season runs from February to October.

Similar birds

Among Costa Rica's antwrens, the female's rusty belly is unique. The male is told from others by a broad white wingbar, speckled shoulder and broad white tips on the tail.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

Costa Rica's Spanish name is hormiguero negruzco. Other countries use different names for the same bird, such as hormiguero tirano in Mexico and Venezuela, hormiguero oscuro in Ecuador, and hormiguero pizarroso in Nicaragua.

Status and conservation

The AOCR lists it as a resident (R), and the IUCN rates it Least Concern, so it is not at immediate risk of decline.

Photography tips

Because it skulks in tangles, look for open forest such as Carara, where it is relatively easy to see. Army ant swarms bring birds out boldly. Its whistled song is easily imitated, and groups have found it hard to resist doing so.