Woodcreeper
Encyclopedia
The woodcreepers comprise a subfamily of sub-oscine passerine
bird
s 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
(Furnariidae). They superficially resemble the Old World
treecreeper
s, but they are unrelated and the similarities are due to convergent evolution
. The subfamily contains around 57 species in 15 to 20 genera
.
Woodcreepers range from 14 to 35 centimetres in length. Generally brownish birds, the true woodcreepers maintain an upright vertical posture, supported by their stiff tail vanes.
They feed mainly on insects taken from tree trunks. However, woodcreepers often form part of the core group at the center of flocks attending army ant
swarms. Woodcreepers are arboreal cavity-nesting birds; 2-3 white eggs are laid and incubated for about 15 to 21 days.
These birds can be difficult to identify in that they tend to have similar brown upperparts, and the more distinctive underparts are hard to see on a bird pressed against a trunk in deep forest shade. The bill shape, extend/shape of spots/streaks, and call are useful aids to determining species.
The woodcreepers are generally fairly uniform in appearance. They range in size from 13 cm (the Wedge-billed Woodcreeper
) to 35 cm in length (the Strong-billed Woodcreeper
). Males tend to be slightly larger than females on average, but there is considerable overlap in size in most species. Pronounced sexual dimorphism
in size and plumage
is rare. Bill size and shape accounts for much of the variation between the species. Bills can be straight or highly decurved, and can account for as much as a quarter of the length of the bird (as happens in the Long-billed Woodcreeper
). The plumage is usually subdued and often brown, or sometimes rufous or other dark colours. Many species have patterns such as checking, spotting or barring on their plumage. The feather
s of the tail are rigid and are used for supporting the body when climbing tree trunks; the tail can support most of the body weight and birds that lose their tail find climbing difficult. Woodcreepers climb by flexing their legs and hopping up the trunk. The feet of the woodcreepers are also modified for climbing. The front three toes are strongly clawed and the back tow is strong and long. The legs are also strong.
. As many as 19 species of woodcreeper may co-occur in some areas of the Amazon, while in other rainforests, such as those in Costa Rica, the numbers are much lower. Other habitats used by the woodcreepers include pine-oak woodland, montane cloudforest, and pine forests. A few species inhabit savanna or other partly open environments, but they are absent from the temperate forests of the southern parts of South America.
s. The flocks they join are usually the lower level ones rather than canopy flocks, and are usually those insectivorous ones rather than frugivorous ones. Prey is almost always obtained by moving up the trunk or branch, and there are two main foraging techniques, probing and sallying. Probers investigate rough bark, mosses, masses of trapped dead leaves, bromeliads, and other areas where prey may be hiding, whereas those that sally launch into the air briefly to snatch prey that has been flushed by their movement. Several species regularly attend
swarms of army ants to catch prey flushed by the ants.
The former family has been merged into the ovenbird family, Furnariidae, by most authorities. Analyses of mt and nDNA sequence
data showed Sclerurus
leaftossers and Geositta
miners to be basal
to the Furnariidae and the woodcreepers (Irestedt et al. 2002). Maintaining Dendrocolaptidae as a separate family between them and the other furnariids created a paraphyletic Furnariidae, hence the merger. An alternative option was recommended by Moyle et al. (2009), in which the woodcreepers maintain their status as a family, while the ovenbirds (as traditionally defined) are split into two families: Scleruridae and Furnariidae.
The xenops
, which have usually been considered ovenbirds with a somewhat woodcreeper-like plumage, are problematic. They have recently been considered related to the woodcreepers (Fjeldså et al., 2005), while others have found them to be closer to the "traditional" ovenbirds (Moyle et al, 2009). If considered closer to the woodcreepers, they form a separate tribe
and may give a good impression of how the ancestors of the woodcreepers must have looked like. The true woodcreepers are characterized by a belly feather growth pattern not found in any other birds.
The systematics of the Dendrocolaptinae were reviewed by Raikow (1994, based on morphology
) and Irestedt et al. (2004, based on analysis of nuclear
and mitochondrial DNA
sequences
). As the latter paper revealed, the commonplace convergent evolution
of bill morphology hampered Raikow's analysis. Color patterns, on the other hand, were more in agreement with the molecular data, but the generally drab coloration of the woodcreepers renders this character less informative than desirable. The work of Irested et al., on the other hand, was severely limited by unavailability of samples of many phylogenetically interesting taxa.
For example, the Deconychura species apparently belong into separate genera, but only D. longicauda was available for molecular analysis. Moving Lepidocolaptes fuscus to Xiphorhynchus restores monophyly
of Lepidocolaptes, and Xiphorhynchus was very much under-split (Aleixo, 2002a,b). Hylexetastes may contain anything from 1 to 4 species.
It remains unresolved whether the Scimitar-billed
and Long-billed Woodcreeper
s' distinctiveness is due to strong selective pressure (and therefore rapid morphological evolution) of forms related to Lepidocolaptes and Dendrexetastes, respectively, or to long-time evolution of distinct lineages which separated early in the evolution of the group, with genetic similarity due to long branch attraction
. The data gained from the myoglobin
intron
II DNA sequence disagrees strongly with mtDNA cytochrome b
sequence data regarding the validity of Lepidocolaptes in general Irestedt et al. (2004); as the latter agrees much better with morphological and biogeographical data it therefore is used here.
More detailed studies are needed to resolve these questions, namely reevaluation of morphological data in the light of the molecular findings, and new molecular studies which thoroughly sample the questionable genera.
Additionally, the species-level taxonomy of several groups requires further study. Examples of "species" where vocal and morphological
variations suggests that more than one species-level taxon
could be involved are the Curve-billed Scythebill
and the White-chinned
, Olivaceous
, Strong-billed
and Straight-billed Woodcreeper
s.
FAMILY FURNARIIDAE
Subfamily Dendrocolaptinae - woodcreepers
Tribe Xenopini - xenops
Tribe Dendrocolaptini - true woodcreepers
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...
s endemic
Endemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
to the Neotropics. They have traditionally been considered a distinct family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Dendrocolaptidae, but most authorities now place them as a subfamily of the ovenbirds
Ovenbird (family)
Ovenbirds or furnariids are a large family of small suboscine passerine birds found in Mexico, and Central and South America. They form the family Furnariidae...
(Furnariidae). They superficially resemble the Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
treecreeper
Treecreeper
The treecreepers are a family, Certhiidae, of small passerine birds, widespread in wooded regions of the Northern Hemisphere and sub-Saharan Africa. The family contains ten species in two genera, Certhia and Salpornis...
s, but they are unrelated and the similarities are due to convergent evolution
Convergent evolution
Convergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages.The wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action. Although their last common ancestor did not have wings, both birds and bats do, and are capable of powered flight. The wings are...
. The subfamily contains around 57 species in 15 to 20 genera
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...
.
Woodcreepers range from 14 to 35 centimetres in length. Generally brownish birds, the true woodcreepers maintain an upright vertical posture, supported by their stiff tail vanes.
They feed mainly on insects taken from tree trunks. However, woodcreepers often form part of the core group at the center of flocks attending army ant
Army ant
The name army ant is applied to over 200 ant species, in different lineages, due to their aggressive predatory foraging groups, known as "raids", in which huge numbers of ants forage simultaneously over a certain area, attacking prey en masse.Another shared feature is that, unlike most ant...
swarms. Woodcreepers are arboreal cavity-nesting birds; 2-3 white eggs are laid and incubated for about 15 to 21 days.
These birds can be difficult to identify in that they tend to have similar brown upperparts, and the more distinctive underparts are hard to see on a bird pressed against a trunk in deep forest shade. The bill shape, extend/shape of spots/streaks, and call are useful aids to determining species.
Description
Wedge-billed Woodcreeper
The Wedge-billed Woodcreeper , is a passerine bird which breeds in the tropical New World from southern Mexico to northern Bolivia, central Brazil and the Guianas; it is absent from the Pacific coastal areas except between Costa Rica and Ecuador...
) to 35 cm in length (the Strong-billed Woodcreeper
Strong-billed Woodcreeper
The Strong-billed Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily.It is one of the largest woodcreepers and the largest furnariids, though the slender Long-billed Woodcreeper is longer and the Great Rufous Woodcreeper is larger overall...
). Males tend to be slightly larger than females on average, but there is considerable overlap in size in most species. Pronounced sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
in size and plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
is rare. Bill size and shape accounts for much of the variation between the species. Bills can be straight or highly decurved, and can account for as much as a quarter of the length of the bird (as happens in the Long-billed Woodcreeper
Long-billed Woodcreeper
The Long-billed Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily, of the woodcreepers. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Nasica....
). The plumage is usually subdued and often brown, or sometimes rufous or other dark colours. Many species have patterns such as checking, spotting or barring on their plumage. The feather
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
s of the tail are rigid and are used for supporting the body when climbing tree trunks; the tail can support most of the body weight and birds that lose their tail find climbing difficult. Woodcreepers climb by flexing their legs and hopping up the trunk. The feet of the woodcreepers are also modified for climbing. The front three toes are strongly clawed and the back tow is strong and long. The legs are also strong.
Habitat and distribution
The woodcreepers are generally forest birds of Central and South America. Most species occur in rainforests, with the centre of diversity of the subfamily being the Amazon BasinAmazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
. As many as 19 species of woodcreeper may co-occur in some areas of the Amazon, while in other rainforests, such as those in Costa Rica, the numbers are much lower. Other habitats used by the woodcreepers include pine-oak woodland, montane cloudforest, and pine forests. A few species inhabit savanna or other partly open environments, but they are absent from the temperate forests of the southern parts of South America.
Diet and feeding
The woodcreepers are insectivores that are mostly arboreal in nature. Insects form the majority of the diet, with some spiders, centipides, millipides and even lizards being taken as well. A few specimens collected by scientists had fruit or seeds in their stomachs, but plant material is not thought to be regularly taken by any species. A few species forage on the ground, but most forage on the trunks of trees, on and on the underside of branches. They are generally solitary or occur in pairs, but frequently join mixed-species feeding flockMixed-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. The flocks they join are usually the lower level ones rather than canopy flocks, and are usually those insectivorous ones rather than frugivorous ones. Prey is almost always obtained by moving up the trunk or branch, and there are two main foraging techniques, probing and sallying. Probers investigate rough bark, mosses, masses of trapped dead leaves, bromeliads, and other areas where prey may be hiding, whereas those that sally launch into the air briefly to snatch prey that has been flushed by their movement. Several species regularly attend
Ant-follower
Ant-followers are birds that feed by following swarms of army ants and take prey flushed by those ants. The best known ant-followers are 18 species of antbird in the family Thamnophilidae, but other families of birds may follow ants including thrushes, chats, ant-tanagers, cuckoos, and...
swarms of army ants to catch prey flushed by the ants.
Systematics
DNA sequence
The sequence or primary structure of a nucleic acid is the composition of atoms that make up the nucleic acid and the chemical bonds that bond those atoms. Because nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, are unbranched polymers, this specification is equivalent to specifying the sequence of...
data showed Sclerurus
Sclerurus
Sclerurus is a bird genus in the ovenbird family, Furnariidae. Members of this genus are commonly known as leaftossers or leafscrapers, and are found in Mexico, Central America and South America. They are close relatives of the miners , which are essentially an open-country version of the...
leaftossers and Geositta
Geositta
Geositta is a genus of passerine birds in the ovenbird family, Furnariidae. They are known as miners due to the tunnels they dig for nesting. There are 11 species including the Campo Miner which was formerly classified in a genus of its own, Geobates...
miners to be basal
Basal (phylogenetics)
In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...
to the Furnariidae and the woodcreepers (Irestedt et al. 2002). Maintaining Dendrocolaptidae as a separate family between them and the other furnariids created a paraphyletic Furnariidae, hence the merger. An alternative option was recommended by Moyle et al. (2009), in which the woodcreepers maintain their status as a family, while the ovenbirds (as traditionally defined) are split into two families: Scleruridae and Furnariidae.
The xenops
Xenops
Xenops is a genus in the bird family Furnariidae, the ovenbirds. They are found in Mexico, Central America and South America.They are small birds with a longish tail, a laterally flattened bill with an upturned tip , brown back and buff or rufous wing stripe...
, which have usually been considered ovenbirds with a somewhat woodcreeper-like plumage, are problematic. They have recently been considered related to the woodcreepers (Fjeldså et al., 2005), while others have found them to be closer to the "traditional" ovenbirds (Moyle et al, 2009). If considered closer to the woodcreepers, they form a separate tribe
Tribe (biology)
In biology, a tribe is a taxonomic rank between family and genus. It is sometimes subdivided into subtribes.Some examples include the tribes: Canini, Acalypheae, Hominini, Bombini, and Antidesmeae.-See also:* Biological classification* Rank...
and may give a good impression of how the ancestors of the woodcreepers must have looked like. The true woodcreepers are characterized by a belly feather growth pattern not found in any other birds.
The systematics of the Dendrocolaptinae were reviewed by Raikow (1994, based on morphology
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
) and Irestedt et al. (2004, based on analysis of nuclear
Nuclear DNA
Nuclear DNA, nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid , is DNA contained within a nucleus of eukaryotic organisms. In mammals and vertebrates, nuclear DNA encodes more of the genome than the mitochondrial DNA and is composed of information inherited from two parents, one male, and one female, rather than...
and mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial 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...
sequences
DNA sequence
The sequence or primary structure of a nucleic acid is the composition of atoms that make up the nucleic acid and the chemical bonds that bond those atoms. Because nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, are unbranched polymers, this specification is equivalent to specifying the sequence of...
). As the latter paper revealed, the commonplace convergent evolution
Convergent evolution
Convergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages.The wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action. Although their last common ancestor did not have wings, both birds and bats do, and are capable of powered flight. The wings are...
of bill morphology hampered Raikow's analysis. Color patterns, on the other hand, were more in agreement with the molecular data, but the generally drab coloration of the woodcreepers renders this character less informative than desirable. The work of Irested et al., on the other hand, was severely limited by unavailability of samples of many phylogenetically interesting taxa.
For example, the Deconychura species apparently belong into separate genera, but only D. longicauda was available for molecular analysis. Moving Lepidocolaptes fuscus to Xiphorhynchus restores monophyly
Monophyly
In common cladistic usage, a monophyletic group is a taxon which forms a clade, meaning that it contains all the descendants of the possibly hypothetical closest common ancestor of the members of the group. The term is synonymous with the uncommon term holophyly...
of Lepidocolaptes, and Xiphorhynchus was very much under-split (Aleixo, 2002a,b). Hylexetastes may contain anything from 1 to 4 species.
It remains unresolved whether the Scimitar-billed
Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper
The Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily. It is in the monotypic genus Drymornis.It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay....
and Long-billed Woodcreeper
Long-billed Woodcreeper
The Long-billed Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily, of the woodcreepers. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Nasica....
s' distinctiveness is due to strong selective pressure (and therefore rapid morphological evolution) of forms related to Lepidocolaptes and Dendrexetastes, respectively, or to long-time evolution of distinct lineages which separated early in the evolution of the group, with genetic similarity due to long branch attraction
Long branch attraction
Long branch attraction is a phenomenon in phylogenetic analyses when rapidly evolving lineages are inferred to be closely related, regardless of their true evolutionary relationships. For example, in DNA sequence-based analyses, the problem arises when sequences from two lineages evolve rapidly...
. The data gained from the myoglobin
Myoglobin
Myoglobin is an iron- and oxygen-binding protein found in the muscle tissue of vertebrates in general and in almost all mammals. It is related to hemoglobin, which is the iron- and oxygen-binding protein in blood, specifically in the red blood cells. The only time myoglobin is found in the...
intron
Intron
An intron is any nucleotide sequence within a gene that is removed by RNA splicing to generate the final mature RNA product of a gene. The term intron refers to both the DNA sequence within a gene, and the corresponding sequence in RNA transcripts. Sequences that are joined together in the final...
II DNA sequence disagrees strongly with mtDNA cytochrome b
Cytochrome b
Cytochrome b/b6 is the main subunit of transmembrane cytochrome bc1 and b6f complexes. In addition, it commonly refers to a region of mtDNA used for population genetics and phylogenetics.- Function :...
sequence data regarding the validity of Lepidocolaptes in general Irestedt et al. (2004); as the latter agrees much better with morphological and biogeographical data it therefore is used here.
More detailed studies are needed to resolve these questions, namely reevaluation of morphological data in the light of the molecular findings, and new molecular studies which thoroughly sample the questionable genera.
Additionally, the species-level taxonomy of several groups requires further study. Examples of "species" where vocal and morphological
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
variations suggests that more than one species-level taxon
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
could be involved are the Curve-billed Scythebill
Curve-billed Scythebill
The Curve-billed Scythebill is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily.It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela....
and the White-chinned
White-chinned Woodcreeper
The White-chinned Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily.It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela....
, Olivaceous
Olivaceous Woodcreeper
The Olivaceous Woodcreeper is a passerine bird of the tropical Americas. It belongs to the true woodcreepers of the ovenbird family ....
, Strong-billed
Strong-billed Woodcreeper
The Strong-billed Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily.It is one of the largest woodcreepers and the largest furnariids, though the slender Long-billed Woodcreeper is longer and the Great Rufous Woodcreeper is larger overall...
and Straight-billed Woodcreeper
Straight-billed Woodcreeper
The Straight-billed Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the woodcreeper subfamily . Its genus, Dendroplex, was recently confirmed to be distinct from Xiphorhynchus....
s.
FAMILY FURNARIIDAE
Subfamily Dendrocolaptinae - woodcreepers
Tribe Xenopini - xenops
Xenops
Xenops is a genus in the bird family Furnariidae, the ovenbirds. They are found in Mexico, Central America and South America.They are small birds with a longish tail, a laterally flattened bill with an upturned tip , brown back and buff or rufous wing stripe...
- Genus Megaxenops - Great Xenops
- Great XenopsGreat XenopsThe Great Xenops, Megaxenops parnaguae, is a Furnariid bird, which is endemic to the Caatinga region of north-eastern Brazil. It is monotypic within the genus Megaxenops....
, Megaxenops parnaguae
- Great Xenops
- Genus XenopsXenopsXenops is a genus in the bird family Furnariidae, the ovenbirds. They are found in Mexico, Central America and South America.They are small birds with a longish tail, a laterally flattened bill with an upturned tip , brown back and buff or rufous wing stripe...
- Rufous-tailed XenopsRufous-tailed XenopsThe Rufous-tailed Xenops is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela....
, Xenops milleri - Slender-billed XenopsSlender-billed XenopsThe Slender-billed Xenops is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family.It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela....
, Xenops tenuirostris - Plain XenopsPlain XenopsThe Plain Xenops, Xenops minutus, is a passerine bird which breeds in moist lowland forests in the tropical New World from southern Mexico south to western Ecuador, northeastern Argentina and central Brazil....
, Xenops minutus - Streaked XenopsStreaked XenopsThe Streaked Xenops, Xenops rutilans, is a passerine bird which breeds in the tropical New World from Costa Rica and Trinidad south to Bolivia and northern Argentina...
, Xenops rutilans
- Rufous-tailed Xenops
Tribe Dendrocolaptini - true woodcreepers
- Genus Glyphorynchus
- Wedge-billed WoodcreeperWedge-billed WoodcreeperThe Wedge-billed Woodcreeper , is a passerine bird which breeds in the tropical New World from southern Mexico to northern Bolivia, central Brazil and the Guianas; it is absent from the Pacific coastal areas except between Costa Rica and Ecuador...
, Glyphorynchus spirurus
- Wedge-billed Woodcreeper
- Genus DendrocinclaDendrocinclaDendrocincla is a genus of bird in the woodcreeper subfamily . It contains the following species:* Tyrannine Woodcreeper, Dendrocincla tyrannina* Thrush-like Woodcreeper, Dendrocincla turdina...
- Tyrannine WoodcreeperTyrannine WoodcreeperThe Tyrannine Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family.It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
, Dendrocincla tyrannina - Thrush-like Woodcreeper, Dendrocincla turdina
- Tawny-winged WoodcreeperTawny-winged WoodcreeperThe Tawny-winged Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily, New World woodcreepers.It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama....
, Dendrocincla anabatina - Plain-brown WoodcreeperPlain-brown WoodcreeperThe Plain-brown Woodcreeper , is a sub-oscine passerine bird which breeds in the tropical New World from Honduras through South America to northern Argentina, and in Trinidad and Tobago. Sometimes it is considered to include the Plain-winged Woodcreeper The Plain-brown Woodcreeper (Dendrocincla...
, Dendrocincla fuliginosa - White-chinned WoodcreeperWhite-chinned WoodcreeperThe White-chinned Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily.It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela....
, Dendrocincla merula - Ruddy WoodcreeperRuddy WoodcreeperThe Ruddy Woodcreeper , is a passerine bird which breeds in the tropical New World from southern Mexico to northern Colombia and extreme northern Venezuela....
, Dendrocincla homochroa
- Tyrannine Woodcreeper
- Genus Deconychura
- Long-tailed WoodcreeperLong-tailed WoodcreeperThe Long-tailed Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily. It is monotypic within Deconychura, but formerly this genus also included the Spot-throated Woodcreeper....
, Deconychura longicauda - Spot-throated WoodcreeperSpot-throated WoodcreeperThe Spot-throated Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily. It is the only species in the genus Certhiasomus...
, Deconychura stictolaema - probably a genus on its own
- Long-tailed Woodcreeper
- Genus Sittasomus
- Olivaceous WoodcreeperOlivaceous WoodcreeperThe Olivaceous Woodcreeper is a passerine bird of the tropical Americas. It belongs to the true woodcreepers of the ovenbird family ....
, Sittasomus griseicapillus
- Olivaceous Woodcreeper
- Genus Nasica
- Long-billed WoodcreeperLong-billed WoodcreeperThe Long-billed Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily, of the woodcreepers. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Nasica....
, Nasica longirostris
- Long-billed Woodcreeper
- Genus Dendrexetastes
- Cinnamon-throated WoodcreeperCinnamon-throated WoodcreeperThe Cinnamon-throated Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily of the ovenbird family . It makes up the monotypic genus Dendrexetastes....
, Dendrexetastes rufigula
- Cinnamon-throated Woodcreeper
- Genus DendrocolaptesDendrocolaptesDendrocolaptes is a genus of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily.It contains the following species:* Amazonian Barred-woodcreeper * Hoffmanns's Woodcreeper...
- Northern Barred-woodcreeperNorthern Barred-woodcreeperThe Northern Barred-woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily. It was formerly included as a subspecies of the Amazonian Barred-woodcreeper ....
, Dendrocolaptes sanctithomae - Amazonian Barred-woodcreeperAmazonian Barred-woodcreeperThe Amazonian Barred-woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily, the woodcreepers. The Northern Barred-woodcreeper was formerly included in this species...
, Dendrocolaptes certhia- Concolor Woodcreeper, Dendrocolaptes (certhia) concolor
- Hoffmanns's WoodcreeperHoffmanns's WoodcreeperThe Hoffmanns's Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily. It is endemic to Brazil, and occurs in two river drainages in the Amazon Basin south of the main course of the Amazon River. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:*...
, Dendrocolaptes hoffmannsi - Black-banded WoodcreeperBlack-banded WoodcreeperThe Black-banded Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily, the woodcreepers.It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.In South America it is...
, Dendrocolaptes picumnus - Planalto WoodcreeperPlanalto WoodcreeperThe Planalto Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily.It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay....
, Dendrocolaptes platyrostris
- Northern Barred-woodcreeper
- Genus HylexetastesHylexetastesHylexetastes is a genus of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily.It contains the following species:* Red-billed Woodcreeper ** Brigida's Woodcreeper...
- Bar-bellied WoodcreeperBar-bellied WoodcreeperThe Bar-bellied Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily.It is found in humid forest of the western Amazon in northern Bolivia, far western Brazil, eastern Peru, and, as recently confirmed, eastern Ecuador.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 26...
, Hylexetastes stresemanni - Red-billed WoodcreeperRed-billed WoodcreeperThe Red-billed Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily. It often includes the Uniform and the Brigida's Woodcreeper as subspecies....
, Hylexetastes perrotii- Uniform WoodcreeperUniform WoodcreeperThe Uniform Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily. It is often considered a subspecies of the Red-billed Woodcreeper....
, Hylexetastes (perrotii) uniformis - Brigida's WoodcreeperBrigida's WoodcreeperThe Brigida's Woodcreeper , also known as the Mato Grosso Woodcreeper, is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily. It is often considered a subspecies of the Red-billed Woodcreeper....
, Hylexetastes (perrotii) brigidai
- Uniform Woodcreeper
- Bar-bellied Woodcreeper
- Genus XiphocolaptesXiphocolaptesXiphocolaptes is a genus of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily.It contains the following species:* Strong-billed Woodcreeper * White-throated Woodcreeper...
- White-throated WoodcreeperWhite-throated WoodcreeperThe White-throated Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay....
, Xiphocolaptes albicollis - Moustached WoodcreeperMoustached WoodcreeperThe Moustached Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily.It is endemic to Brazil.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
, Xiphocolaptes falcirostris - Great Rufous WoodcreeperGreat Rufous WoodcreeperThe Great Rufous Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily, the woodcreepers.It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay....
, Xiphocolaptes major - Strong-billed WoodcreeperStrong-billed WoodcreeperThe Strong-billed Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily.It is one of the largest woodcreepers and the largest furnariids, though the slender Long-billed Woodcreeper is longer and the Great Rufous Woodcreeper is larger overall...
, Xiphocolaptes promeropirhynchus
- White-throated Woodcreeper
- Genus CampylorhamphusCampylorhamphusCampylorhamphus, the scythebills, are a bird genus in the woodcreeper subfamily . They are found in wooded habitats in South America and southern Central America, and all have very long, somewhat scythe-shaped bills....
- Greater ScythebillGreater ScythebillThe Greater Scythebill is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily. This species is found at very low densities in highland forest in the Andes, ranging from Colombia to Peru...
, Campylorhamphus pucherani - Red-billed ScythebillRed-billed ScythebillThe Red-billed Scythebill is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily.The Red-billed Scythebill is a fairly large species of woodcreeper. The total length of the species is 24-28 cm . As its name indicates, the bill is long, downcurved and reddish in coloration...
, Campylorhamphus trochilirostris - Brown-billed ScythebillBrown-billed ScythebillThe Brown-billed Scythebill is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family.It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.-References:* BirdLife...
, Campylorhamphus pusillus - Black-billed ScythebillBlack-billed ScythebillThe Black-billed Scythebill is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay....
, Campylorhamphus falcularius - Curve-billed ScythebillCurve-billed ScythebillThe Curve-billed Scythebill is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily.It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela....
, Campylorhamphus procurvoides
- Greater Scythebill
- Genus DendroplexDendroplexDendroplex is a genus of bird in the woodcreeper subfamily . It was long merged into Xiphorhynchus, but its distinctness was recently validated.It contains the following species:* Straight-billed Woodcreeper, Dendroplex picus...
- formerly in Xiphorhynchus- Straight-billed WoodcreeperStraight-billed WoodcreeperThe Straight-billed Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the woodcreeper subfamily . Its genus, Dendroplex, was recently confirmed to be distinct from Xiphorhynchus....
, Dendroplex picus - Zimmer's WoodcreeperZimmer's WoodcreeperZimmer's Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the woodcreeper subfamily . Its genus, Dendroplex, was recently confirmed to be distinct from Xiphorhynchus....
, Dendroplex kienerii - formerly Xiphorhynchus necopinus
- Straight-billed Woodcreeper
- Genus XiphorhynchusXiphorhynchusXiphorhynchus 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...
(possibly polyphyletic)- Lesser WoodcreeperLesser WoodcreeperThe Lesser Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the woodcreeper subfamily .It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay....
, Xiphorhynchus fuscus - formerly in Lepidocolaptes - Spix's WoodcreeperSpix's WoodcreeperThe Spix's Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the woodcreeper subfamily . The Elegant Woodcreeper was previously considered a subspecies of the Spix's Woodcreeper....
, Xiphorhynchus spixii - Elegant WoodcreeperElegant WoodcreeperThe Elegant Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the woodcreeper subfamily . It was formerly considered a subspecies of Spix's Woodcreeper. It is found in the western and southern Amazon in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Its natural habitat is tropical humid lowland forests. The...
, Xiphorhynchus elegans- Juruá Woodcreeper or Ihering's Woodcreeper, Xiphorhynchus (elegans) juruanus
- Ocellated WoodcreeperOcellated WoodcreeperThe Ocellated Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily of the ovenbird family...
, Xiphorhynchus ocellatus- Tschudi's Woodcreeper, Xiphorhynchus (ocellatus) chunchotambo
- Chestnut-rumped WoodcreeperChestnut-rumped WoodcreeperThe Chestnut-rumped Woodcreeper is a species of perching bird. Like the other woodcreepers, it belongs to the subfamily Dendrocolaptinae of the ovenbird family ....
, Xiphorhynchus pardalotus - Striped WoodcreeperStriped WoodcreeperThe Striped Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the woodcreeper subfamily .It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela....
, Xiphorhynchus obsoletus - Spotted WoodcreeperSpotted WoodcreeperThe Spotted Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily. It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama....
, Xiphorhynchus erythropygius - Olive-backed WoodcreeperOlive-backed WoodcreeperThe Olive-backed Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily.It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes....
, Xiphorhynchus triangularis - Ivory-billed WoodcreeperIvory-billed WoodcreeperThe Ivory-billed Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily.It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua....
, Xiphorhynchus flavigaster - Black-striped WoodcreeperBlack-striped WoodcreeperThe Black-striped Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily.It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Panama. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.-References:* BirdLife...
, Xiphorhynchus lachrymosus - Buff-throated WoodcreeperBuff-throated WoodcreeperThe Buff-throated Woodcreeper is a resident passerine bird found in tropical South America in the Guiana Shield and disjunctly in the northern Atlantic Forest. It formerly included the Cocoa Woodcreeper and the Lafresnaye's Woodcreeper as subspecies...
, Xiphorhynchus guttatus- Lafesnaye's Woodcreeper, Xiphorhynchus (guttatus) guttatoides
- Dusky-billed Woodcreeper, Xiphorhynchus (guttatus/guttatoides) eytoni
- Lafesnaye's Woodcreeper, Xiphorhynchus (guttatus) guttatoides
- Cocoa WoodcreeperCocoa WoodcreeperThe Cocoa Woodcreeper is a passerine bird which breeds in tropical Central and South America in Trinidad, Tobago, northern Colombia and northern Venezuela. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the Buff-throated Woodcreeper .It is typically 23 cm long, and weighs 37 g...
, Xiphorhynchus susurrans- Lawrence's Woodcreeper, Xiphorhynchus (susurrans) nanus
- Lesser Woodcreeper
- Genus Drymornis
- Scimitar-billed WoodcreeperScimitar-billed WoodcreeperThe Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily. It is in the monotypic genus Drymornis.It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay....
, Drymornis bridgesii
- Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper
- Genus LepidocolaptesLepidocolaptesLepidocolaptes is a genus of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily. These are relatively small woodcreepers with fairly long, thin and slightly decurved bills.-Species:...
- White-striped WoodcreeperWhite-striped WoodcreeperThe White-striped Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily.It is endemic to Mexico.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes....
, Lepidocolaptes leucogaster - Streak-headed WoodcreeperStreak-headed WoodcreeperThe Streak-headed Woodcreeper , is a passerine bird which breeds in the tropical New World from southern Mexico to northwestern Peru, northern Brazil and Guyana, and on Trinidad....
, Lepidocolaptes souleyetii - Narrow-billed WoodcreeperNarrow-billed WoodcreeperThe Narrow-billed Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily.It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Suriname, and Uruguay....
, Lepidocolaptes angustirostris - Spot-crowned WoodcreeperSpot-crowned WoodcreeperThe Spot-crowned Woodcreeper , is a passerine bird which breeds in the tropical New World from central Mexico in the east, the Sierra Madre Orientals, to northern Panama....
, Lepidocolaptes affinis - Montane WoodcreeperMontane WoodcreeperThe Montane Woodcreeper is a perching bird species in the subfamily Dendrocolaptinae of the ovenbird family ....
, Lepidocolaptes lacrymiger - Scaled WoodcreeperScaled WoodcreeperThe Scaled Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily. It is endemic to Brazil.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.-References:* BirdLife International 2006. . Downloaded on 26 July...
, Lepidocolaptes squamatus- Wagler's Woodcreeper, Lepidocolaptes (squamatus) wagleri
- Scalloped WoodcreeperScalloped WoodcreeperThe Scalloped Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the ovenbird family.It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay....
, Lepidocolaptes falcinellus - Lineated WoodcreeperLineated WoodcreeperThe Lineated Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily.It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela....
, Lepidocolaptes albolineatus
- White-striped Woodcreeper
External links
- Woodcreeper videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Woodcreeper sounds on xeno-canto.org