Uniform Woodcreeper
Hylexetastes uniformis
Large, stout-billed woodcreeper of tall rainforest in southeastern Amazonia. Plumage entirely rufous-brown with no barring or streaking; note thick dusky-reddish bill, plain face, and brownish throat (not contrastingly white). Found in tall rainforest as well as slightly lower-stature forests on sandy soils; generally less common than other large woodcreepers. Climbs along tree trunks and large branches at middle and upper levels, probing bark crevices for insects and small vertebrates; occasionally follows army ant swarms to capture animals fleeing up tree trunks. Heard more often than seen. Song, given mainly at dawn, is a far-carrying, hoarse whistle repeated 3–4 times, very unlike other woodcreepers. Amazonian Barred-Woodcreeper, which also has a reddish bill, may occur with Uniform at ant swarms and be mistaken for it in dim understory light; note Uniform’s stouter bill and plainer plumage.
Identification
The uniform woodcreeper is 25 to 30 cm (9.8 to 12 in) long. Males weigh 86.5 to 121 g (3.1 to 4.3 oz) and females 95 to 118 g (3.4 to 4.2 oz). It is a large and heavy-bodied woodcreeper with a short and massive bill. The sexes are alike. Adults of both subspecies have smoky brown to olive-brown upperparts with bright chestnut to rufous-chestnut wing coverts, flight feathers, rump, and tail. Their breast is a warmer cinnamon-brown and their belly buffy brown; the latter sometimes has some indistinct fine barring. Their iris is brown to reddish brown or even red, their bill wine-red to brownish, and their legs and feet green or olive. Subspecies H. u. brigidai is somewhat larger and heavier-billed than the nominate, but its otherwise differs only in having pale lores.
Taxonomy
The uniform woodcreeper's taxonomy is unsettled. The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society and the Clements taxonomy have long treated it as a species with two subspecies. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) formerly treated it as a monotypic species. In July 2023 the IOC lumped what had been Brigida's woodcreeper (then H. brigidai) into the uniform woodcreeper in conformance with the other two taxonomic systems. However, BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) treats uniformis and brigidai as subspecies of the red-billed woodcreeper (H. perrotii).<p>This article follows the two-subspecies model of H. u. uniformis (Hellmayr, 1909) and H. u. brigidai (da Silva, Novaes, & Oren 1995).
- Scientific name
- Hylexetastes uniformis
- Authority
- Hellmayr, 1909
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Furnariidae
- Genus
- Hylexetastes
Range and habitat
The nominate subspecies of the uniform woodcreeper is found in the Amazon Basin south of the Amazon River in Brazil between the Madeira and Xingu rivers and south to Mato Grosso state and northeastern Bolivia's Santa Cruz Department. H. u. brigidai is found south of the Amazon from the Xingu River east to the Tocantins and Araguaia rivers. The species primarily inhabits terra firme forest and also occurs in gallery forest and seasonally flooded forest. It is found only rarely in semi-deciduous along the Xingu River. It favors the interior of mature primary forest but also occurs at its edgees and in older secondary forest. It mostly occurs at low elevations but reaches 600 m (2,000 ft) in Serra dos Carajás in Brazil's Pará state.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Yellow-bellied Seedeater
Sporophila nigricollis
Male is a fairly distinctive seedeater with yellow belly (sometimes very pale), dark breast and face, and brownish-olive back. Often shows some smudgy dark marks down the flanks. Bill is pale silvery. Female seedeaters are extremely difficult to identify; Yellow-bellied tends to look warmer with yellowish tones on underparts, but many are best left unidentified unless accompanied by a male. Most often found in flocks or pairs in open grassy habitats, sometimes near the edge of forest but also in agricultural areas.
Buru Honeyeater
Lichmera deningeri
A medium-sized, largely olive-brown songbird with a striking yellow base to the downcurved bill, a thin yellow line from bill to eye, and dull bare skin behind the eye. Found in foothills and mountains, within forest, forest edge, and scrub as singles and pairs, and also joins mixed-species flocks. Larger and heavier-billed than female Wakolo Myzomela, and further differentiated by distinct pale bill base and thin yellow facial line. Song comprises a monotonous staccato “chew-chew-chew…” with pitch variation between notes.
Pygmy Nightjar
Nyctipolus hirundinaceus
Very small nightjar with an indistinct buffy throat. Ground color is variable between subspecies, with some paler and others darker. In flight, note the white wing stripes in both sexes. Males have two white patches on tail. Found in wooded rocky caatinga (dry scrubby forest), where it roosts on rock outcrops and boulders. The song is a short “wheeo.”
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.