Orange-bellied Antwren
CR

Orange-bellied Antwren

Terenura sicki

Declining

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange-bellied_antwren

Overview

The orange-bellied antwren or Sick's antwren, is a Critically Endangered species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is endemic to Brazil.

Terenura sicki faces severe population decline due to extensive deforestation and habitat fragmentation within its extremely limited range in Brazil's Atlantic Forest. The species' specialized requirements for dense understory vegetation make it particularly vulnerable to forest degradation and edge effects. Agricultural expansion, urban development, and infrastructure projects continue to reduce and isolate remaining forest patches, preventing population connectivity and recovery.

Threat summary

Habitat

This antbird inhabits the dense understory of lowland Atlantic Forest, preferring areas with thick vegetation and bamboo thickets. It occurs in primary and well-developed secondary forests, typically below 500 meters elevation in southeastern Brazil.

Forest· major

Conservation measures underway

Site/area protectionHabitat & natural process restorationSpecies managementSpecies recoveryFormal educationAwareness & communicationsLegislationCompliance and enforcement

Other threatened species in THAMNOPHILIDAE

EN

Scalloped Antbird

Myrmoderus ruficauda

Declining
VU

Rondonia Antwarbler

Hypocnemis ochrogyna

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Allpahuayo Antbird

Percnostola arenarum

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Alagoas AntwrenCR

Alagoas Antwren

Myrmotherula snowi

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Striped SmoothhoundCR

Striped Smoothhound

Mustelus fasciatus

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VU

Mussismilia hispida

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Myrcia carioca

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Brasilia TapaculoEN

Brasilia Tapaculo

Scytalopus novacapitalis

Declining

Frequently asked questions

Why is Orange-bellied Antwren classified as Critically Endangered?
Orange-bellied Antwren is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. Terenura sicki faces severe population decline due to extensive deforestation and habitat fragmentation within its extremely limited range in Brazil's Atlantic Forest. The species' specialized requirements for dense understory vegetation make it particularly vulnerable to forest degradation and edge effects. Agricultural expansion, urban development, and infrastructure projects continue to reduce and isolate remaining forest patches, preventing population connectivity and recovery.
Where does Orange-bellied Antwren live?
Orange-bellied Antwren occurs in Brazil. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Orange-bellied Antwren?
The main threats to Orange-bellied Antwren are 2.1, 5.1, 5.3, and 5.4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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