Myrmochanes hemileucus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The black-and-white antbird (Myrmochanes hemileucus) is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The black-and-white antbird is the only member of genus Myrmochanes and has no subspecies.
The black-and-white antbird was first described by the English ornithologists Philip Sclater and Osbert Salvin in 1866 and given the binomial name Hypocmenis hemileucus. It was moved to genus Myrmochanes following a proposal by the American ornithologist Joel Asaph Allen in 1889. The species is included in the tribe Formicivorini along with three other genera, Formicivora, Myrmotherula, and Terenura.
The black-and-white antbird is 10 to 12.2 cm (3.9 to 4.8 in) long and weighs 12 to 13 g (0.42 to 0.46 oz). Adult males' face, crown, nape, and upperparts are black except for a mostly hidden white patch between the shoulders. Their wings are black with sparse white tips on the coverts. Their tail is short, somewhat graduated, and black with white tips on the feathers. Their throat and underparts are white with variable amounts of buff on the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amacayacu National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-and-white Antbird sighting in Yasuní National Park on a given day, based on 69 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 343rd most-seen of the 533 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-and-white Antbird in Yasuní National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-and-white Antbird sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Black-and-white Antbird sightings, Yasuní National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Amacayacu National Natural Park (Colombia, about 10%).
Same family: Thamnophilidae
The closest relatives of the Black-and-white Antbird that you can see in Yasuní National Park (family Thamnophilidae, Typical Antbirds) are Mouse-colored Antshrike (about 20%), Silvered Antbird (about 20%) and Dusky-throated Antshrike (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-and-white Antbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Yasuní National Park (69 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
