The Black-bellied Gnateater has a bold white eyebrow and chestnut wings. Males have a black head and underparts, while these areas are gray in females; it forages in dense humid forest understory.
It has a bold white eyebrow. Males have a black head and underparts contrasting with chestnut wings and back; in females, the black is replaced by gray.
It occurs patchily in humid forest with dense understory, especially bamboo, where it forages on the ground and in the understory. Its song is a short, harsh rattle.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.