Mournful Woodcreeper
Deconychura pallida
Fairly small, warm brown woodcreeper with buffy spots on breast and vague buffy eyebrow. Note relatively short, straight bill. Very similar to many other species of woodcreepers but smaller than most others in range; tail relatively longer than most other woodcreepers but this is of limited use in field identification. Focus on overall shape, especially the vaguely “pin-headed” look and scruffy feathers on the nape. Generally found in primary forest, usually following a mixed-species flock. Best identified by voice, though not a particularly vocal species. Song is a series of long, clear slightly rising whistled notes, each lower-pitched than the one before, imparting a mournful quality.
Identification
The southern long-tailed woodcreeper is a medium-sized member of its subfamily, with a slim body, long wings and tail, and a slim medium-length straight bill. It is 16 to 21 cm (6.3 to 8.3 in) long and weighs about 24 to 32 g (0.85 to 1.1 oz). Males are longer and heavier than females, and both length and weight vary among the subspecies. The species' plumage varies only slightly among the subspecies and males and females are alike. Adults are mostly olive-brown with a darker crown and nape that have fine buff streaks. Their lores and supercilium are whitish to rich buffy. Their wings, uppertail coverts, and tail are rufous-chestnut; their primaries have dusky tips. Their throat varies from whitish buff to ochraceous, their breast is olive-brown with buff streaks, their belly and flanks are plain olive-brown, and their undertail coverts are rufous. Their underwing coverts and the underside of the flight feathers are cinnamon rufous. Their iris is brown, their bill is gray or black, and their legs and feet are gray or gray-black. Juveniles are very similar to adults, with a slightly darker head and fewer pale streaks on the breast.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Deconychura pallida
- Authority
- Zimmer, JT, 1929
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Furnariidae
- Genus
- Dendrocincla
Range and habitat
The subspecies of the southern long-tailed woodcreeper are found thus:<p>The southern long-tailed woodcreeper inhabits a variety of forested landscapes where it favors the interior of humid primary forest. It does occur at the forest edges and in mature secondary forest. In Amazonia it is mostly found in terra firme and várzea forest up to about 500 m (1,600 ft). In Colombia it reaches 1,500 m (4,900 ft), in Ecuador 1,700 m (5,600 ft), in Peru 1,500 m (4,900 ft), and in Bolivia 1,250 m (4,100 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The southern long-tailed woodcreeper is a year-round resident throughout its range.<p>The southern long-tailed woodcreeper mostly forages from the understory to the canopy, about 3 to 20 m (10 to 66 ft) above the ground. It forages singly, in pairs, and in mixed-species feeding flocks; the composition of the last varies. It hitches up trunks and vines, mostly picking or gleaning its prey but sometimes making short sallies to capture it in the air. Its diet is not known in detail but is mostly arthropods, and it seems to favor adults rather than including significant numbers of larvae.<p>Almost nothing is known about the southern long-tailed woodcreeper's breeding biology. The scant evidence indicates that its breeding season varies geographically.<p>The southern long-tailed woodcreeper's song is "a clearly descending series of typically 6–8 mainly flat-pitched whistles" with up to 12 notes. The species can sing at any time of day, though it is most heard in early morning and late afternoon. It does not sing continuously. Playback of the local song elicits a strong response, so the song "likely has a territorial function".
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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