Tschudi's Woodcreeper
Encyclopedia
Tschudi's Woodcreeper, Xiphorhynchus chunchotambo, is a passerine
bird
native to South America
. It belongs to the genus
Xiphorhynchus
in the woodcreeper
subfamily, Dendrocolaptinae. It was sometimes regarded as a subspecies
of the Ocellated Woodcreeper
(X. ocellatus). It is named after Johann Jakob von Tschudi
, the Swiss
explorer and naturalist who first described the bird.
which showed that the Ocellated Woodcreeper was more closely related to the Chestnut-rumped Woodcreeper
(X. pardalotus) than to Tschudi's Woodcreeper.
There are two or three subspecies
of Tschudi's Woodcreeper: X. c. chunchotambo, X. c. brevirostris and perhaps X. c. napensis although this form is sometimes retained within the Ocellated Woodcreeper.
The song
is a descending series of staccato notes. It calls include a short descending whistle, a quavering liquid call and a dry rattle.
lowlands from southern Colombia
south through Ecuador
and Peru
to northern Bolivia
and far south-western Brazil
. X. c. chunchotambo occurs in central Peru, X. c. brevirostris in south-east Peru, northern Bolivia and south-western Brazil, and X. c. napensis in southern Colombia, eastern Ecuador and north-east Peru. It is found in humid forests where it forages in the lower and middle storeys of the forest, often in mixed-species feeding flock
s.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
native to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. It belongs to the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Xiphorhynchus
Xiphorhynchus
Xiphorhynchus is a genus of bird in the woodcreeper subfamily . Its monophyly requires confirmation.It contains the following species:* Lesser Woodcreeper, Xiphorhynchus fuscus - formerly in Lepidocolaptes...
in the woodcreeper
Woodcreeper
The woodcreepers comprise a subfamily of sub-oscine passerine birds endemic to the Neotropics. They have traditionally been considered a distinct family Dendrocolaptidae, but most authorities now place them as a subfamily of the ovenbirds...
subfamily, Dendrocolaptinae. It was sometimes regarded as a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Ocellated Woodcreeper
Ocellated Woodcreeper
The Ocellated Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily of the ovenbird family...
(X. ocellatus). It is named after Johann Jakob von Tschudi
Johann Jakob von Tschudi
Johann Jakob von Tschudi was a Swiss naturalist and explorer.Tschudi was born in Glarus, and studied natural sciences and medicine at the universities of Neuchâtel, Leiden and Paris. In 1838 he travelled to Peru, where he remained for five years exploring and collecting plants in the Andes...
, the Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
explorer and naturalist who first described the bird.
Taxonomy
It was initially described as a species by Johann Jakob von Tschudi in 1844. He named it Dendrocolaptes Chunchotambo but it was later moved to the genus Xiphorhynchus. It was later lumped into the Ocellated Woodcreeper (X. ocellatus) but Aleixo (2002) recommended splitting the species based on a study of mitochondrial DNAMitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondria, structures within eukaryotic cells that convert the chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, adenosine triphosphate...
which showed that the Ocellated Woodcreeper was more closely related to the Chestnut-rumped Woodcreeper
Chestnut-rumped Woodcreeper
The Chestnut-rumped Woodcreeper is a species of perching bird. Like the other woodcreepers, it belongs to the subfamily Dendrocolaptinae of the ovenbird family ....
(X. pardalotus) than to Tschudi's Woodcreeper.
There are two or three subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of Tschudi's Woodcreeper: X. c. chunchotambo, X. c. brevirostris and perhaps X. c. napensis although this form is sometimes retained within the Ocellated Woodcreeper.
Description
It is a medium-sized woodcreeper, 20–21 cm in length. The bill is fairly long and slightly curved. The plumage is mostly brown, becoming more rufous on the rump, wings and tail. The bird has a buff throat, buff spots on the crown and breast, fine buff streaks on the back and a black moustachial stripe.The song
Bird song
Bird vocalization includes both bird calls and bird songs. In non-technical use, bird songs are the bird sounds that are melodious to the human ear. In ornithology and birding, songs are distinguished by function from calls.-Definition:The distinction between songs and calls is based upon...
is a descending series of staccato notes. It calls include a short descending whistle, a quavering liquid call and a dry rattle.
Distribution and habitat
It is found along the east Andean slope and adjacent AmazonianAmazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
lowlands from southern Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
south through Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
to northern Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and far south-western Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. X. c. chunchotambo occurs in central Peru, X. c. brevirostris in south-east Peru, northern Bolivia and south-western Brazil, and X. c. napensis in southern Colombia, eastern Ecuador and north-east Peru. It is found in humid forests where it forages in the lower and middle storeys of the forest, often in mixed-species feeding flock
Mixed-species feeding flock
A mixed-species feeding flock, also termed a mixed-species foraging flock, mixed hunting party or informally bird wave, is a flock of usually insectivorous birds of different species, that join each other and move together while foraging...
s.