Percnostola is a genus of insectivorous passerine birds in the family Thamnophilidae. The genus was erected by the German ornithologists Jean Cabanis and Ferdinand Heine in 1860. The type species is the black-headed antbird. The name of the genus comes from the Ancient Greek words perknos meaning "dark" or "dusky" and stolē meaning "dress" or "clothing". The genus contains two species: The genus previously included the white-lined antbird but a genetic study published in 2013 found that it is embedded within Myrmoborus.