The sooty barbthroat (Threnetes niger) is a hummingbird species in the family Trochilidae. It is found in French Guiana and the northeastern part of the Amazon Basin. Its natural habitat is humid tropical lowland forest. The taxonomy and systematics of the sooty/pale-tailed barbthroat complex has caused much confusion. Some authors consider the sooty barbthroat to be a melanistic variant of the pale-tailed barbthroat (T. leucurus). As T. niger was described first, this scientific name is the valid name for both when they are considered conspecific.