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Typical Antbirds (Thamnophilidae)

Dusky Antbird (Cercomacra tyrannina) - HBW 8, p. 629

French: Grisin sombre German: Dunkelgrauer Ameisenfänger Spanish: Hormiguero Tirano
Other common names: Tyrannine Antbird

Taxonomy: Pyriglena tyrannina P. L. Sclater, 1855, “Bogotá” = probably nearby Cundinamarca, Colombia.
Probably closest to C. laeta, which formerly treated as conspecific; until recently also included C. parkeri as a highland population in Colombia. These three along with C. nigrescens and C. serva are considered to form a species group, on basis of plumage and vocal characters, and pending completion of major genetic study. At least some of the plumage differences from which races were described appear to be due to clinal variation; analysis of other parameters, including vocalizations, required in order to define geographical populations more accurately, and range.. View all taxonomy...

Taxonomy: Pyriglena tyrannina P. L. Sclater, 1855, “Bogotá” = probably nearby Cundinamarca, Colombia.
Probably closest to C. laeta, which formerly treated as conspecific; until recently also included C. parkeri as a highland population in Colombia. These three along with C. nigrescens and C. serva are considered to form a species group, on basis of plumage and vocal characters, and pending completion of major genetic study. At least some of the plumage differences from which races were described appear to be due to clinal variation; analysis of other parameters, including vocalizations, required in order to define geographical populations more accurately, and ranges listed are therefore provisional. Described race rufiventris (E Panama S to W Ecuador) considered synonymous with nominate on basis of recent study of plumage variation. Four subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

  • crepera Bangs, 1901 - SE Mexico (SE Veracruz, NE Oaxaca and N Chiapas E to S Quintana Roo), Belize, and Guatemala and Honduras (Caribbean slope) S to W Panama (W & C Chiriquí, Bocas del Toro, NW Veraguas).
  • tyrannina (P. L. Sclater, 1855) - C & E Panama (E from E Chiriquí, W Colón and NE Coclé), Colombia (Pacific slope, lower Cauca and Magdalena Valleys, and E of Andes S to R Caquetá), W Ecuador (S to S Guayas, one record in El Oro), S Venezuela (Bolívar, Amazonas) and extreme NW Brazil (N Amazonas W of lower R Negro, S to R Japurá).
  • vicina Todd, 1927 - NW Venezuela (S Zulia S to Táchira and E to Barinas, NW Apure and W Bolívar) and E slope of Andes in N Colombia (Casanare).
  • saturatior Chubb, 1918 - the Guianas and NE Amazonian Brazil (Roraima and from E of lower R Negro E to Amapá).

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