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WOODCREEPERS - FURNARIIDAE (DENDROCOLAPATINAE)
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| Tawny-winged Woodcreeper Dendrocincla anabatina anabatina Las Guacamayas, Chiapas state, Mexico. It lives in rainforests from southern Mexico to Panama. (S5) |
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| Wedge-billed Woodcreeper Glyphorynchus spirurus sublestus Buenaventura reserve, El Oro province, Ecuador. A common woodcreeper of tropical lowland rainforest in Central and South America. (S5) | Wedge-billed Woodcreeper Glyphorynchus spirurus sublestus End of the Milpe road, Pichincha province, Ecuador. (S5f) |
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| Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper Drymornis bridgesii San José de las Salinas, Córdoba province, Argentina. A distant shot, so it's hard to appreciate the size of this bird. It's the only woodcreeper that regularly comes down onto the ground. It ranges mainly in northern Argentina east of the Andes, but also gets into adjacent countries. (S5) |
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| Long-billed Woodcreeper Nasica longirostris Cristalino Jungle Lodge, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. The woodcreepers (Dendrocolaptidae) have now been merged with the ovenbirds (Furnaridae), but I keep them in separate galleries since they form quite a distinct homogeneous group. I find them some of the most difficult birds to photograph. This is one of my better ones, and it's also my favorite woodcreeper: it's big, impressive, and has one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs of any bird in the world. (S3) |
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| White-throated Woodcreeper Xiphocolaptes albicollis albicollis Itatiaia NP, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. The biggest woodcreeper of the Atlantic Forest region, distinguished from the similar Planalto Woodcreeper (Dendrocolaptes platyrostris) by its thicker and more decurved bill and its more distinct facial pattern. (D3) |
Great Rufous Woodcreeper Xiphocolaptes major remoratus Pousada Piuval (Pantanal lodge), Mato Grosso state, Brazil. A monster of a woodcreeper, only Strong-billed (X. promeropirhynchus) can be more massive. It lives in dry woodland, gallery forest, and savanna in south-central South America. (D3) |
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| Great Rufous Woodcreeper Xiphocolaptes major remoratus Pousada Piuval (Pantanal lodge), Mato Grosso state, Brazil. This bird was on a low tree trunk only meters from the lodge. (S5) |
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| Strong-billed Woodcreeper Xiphocolaptes promeropirhynchus ignotus Tandayapa Bird Lodge, Pichincha province, Ecuador. A widespread species from Mexico to Bolivia. There is a great deal of racial variation, and some subspecies may end up being split. The subspecies ignotus may not be valid, in which case this would be the nominate race (Ridgely & Greenfield 2001). (S6) |
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| Moustached Woodcreeper Xiphocolaptes falcirostris franciscanus Itacarambí, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Closely related to the Great Rufous Woodcreeper X. major, and nearly as big. A rare and threatened woodcreeper of NE Brazil; this is the southern subspecies, which is occasionally split. It has darker underparts and less crown streaking. (S5) | Moustached Woodcreeper Xiphocolaptes falcirostris franciscanus Itacarambí, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. (S5f) |
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| Straight-billed Woodcreeper Xiphorhynchus picus (ssp. unknown) Ilha Marchantaria (near Manaus), Amazonas state, Brazil. Zimmer's Woodcreeper (X. kienerii) also occurs on this island, and the two are extremely hard to distinguish apart from voice. I recorded this bird, and the song was typical for Straight-billed. (D3) |
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| Black-striped Woodcreeper Xiphorhynchus lachrymosus alarum El Paujil reserve, Santander department, Colombia. This subspecies is endemic to central Colombia, and is not as strongly marked as others. (S5) |
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| Spotted Woodcreeper Xiphorhynchus erythropygius aequatorialis Buenaventura reserve, El Oro province, Ecuador. (S5) |
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| Narrow-billed Woodcreeper Lepidocolaptes angustirostris praedatus c. 5 km east of El Tunal, Salta province, Argentina. Occurs widely in lighter woodland in eastern South America. There is significant racial variation; compare the two photos here. (S5) |
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| Narrow-billed Woodcreeper Lepidocolaptes angustirostris bahiae Jeremoaba-Canudos road, Bahia state, Brazil. A subspecies endemic to NE Brazil, slightly ochraceous underneath and lacking obvious streaking. (D3) |
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| Red-billed Scythebill Campylorhamphus trochilirostris thoracicus Finca Exito I, 20 km N of Puerto Quito, Pichincha province, Ecuador. (S5) |
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For questions, comments, or photograph licensing info, please email
For questions, comments, or photograph licensing info, please email