Ocellated Woodcreeper

Overview

The ocellated woodcreeper (Xiphorhynchus ocellatus) is a species of bird in the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, and is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• A slim, medium-sized woodcreeper measuring 20 to 24.5 cm long, with a long and nearly straight bill.
• Adults of the nominate subspecies feature a dark brown crown with fine buff streaks, a plain reddish-brown to olive-brown back, and cinnamon-rufous rump, wings, and tail.
• The upper breast displays large buff "teardrops" with weak darker borders, while the throat is deep buff with darker feather edges; legs and feet are gray.
• Song varies geographically, ranging from a fast series of nasal notes in eastern Ecuador to a short, fast, descending, rattling series in much of Brazil.

Habitat

The species primarily inhabits evergreen forest, with most subspecies favouring terra firme but also occurring in várzea, other seasonally flooded forests, and wooded swamps. It prefers the interior of mature forest but is also found at its edges and in secondary forest, typically at elevations below 500 m, though it reaches up to 1,800 m in the Andes.

Diet

The diet is believed to be primarily arthropods, though it is not fully described. The bird hitches up trunks and along branches from the understory to the sub-canopy, taking prey from bark by picking and probing, and occasionally probes vegetation such as epiphytes. It frequently joins mixed-species foraging flocks and occasionally follows army ant swarms.

Did you know?

The ocellated woodcreeper is believed to be highly sensitive to the loss and fragmentation of forest. Despite appearing fairly common across its range, its population sizes are unknown and all subspecies are believed to be decreasing.