Scalloped Woodcreeper

Overview

The scalloped woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes falcinellus) is a species of ovenbird found in South America. It is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN and is a year-round resident throughout its range.

Identification

• A medium-sized bird measuring 17 to 20 cm in length with a longish, somewhat decurved bill.
• Features a creamy white face with blackish mottling and a crown that is dusky to dull black with rich buff spots.
• Underparts are olive with bold, blackish-edged buff streaks that create a scaly appearance.
• Legs and feet are greenish gray to greenish brown, and the call is described as a slurred rattle such as 'pit, eu-u-u'.

Habitat

Found in northeastern São Paulo state in southern Brazil, southern Paraguay, northeastern Argentina, and extreme northeastern Uruguay. It inhabits humid Atlantic Forest, drier forest in the planalto, montane evergreen forest, and Araucaria forest. The species is found at forest edges and interiors, ranging in elevation from lowlands to 1,600 m, though rarely up to 2,000 m.

Diet

The diet is not known in detail but appears to consist mostly of arthropods. It forages singly or in pairs, often joining mixed-species flocks, by hitching up trunks and along branches to search epiphytes, bromeliads, moss, and bark crevices. It has also been observed making sallies to catch prey in mid-air.

Did you know?

The scalloped woodcreeper is considered highly sensitive to human disturbance, yet it is capable of existing in moderate numbers within relatively small forest fragments in southern Brazil.