The bamboo foliage-gleaner, also known as the crested foliage-gleaner or dusky-cheeked foliage-gleaner, is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Region
Western Amazon Basin and Andean foothills
Typical Environment
Occurs patchily in bamboo-dominated understory from southeastern Colombia and eastern Ecuador through eastern Peru and northern Bolivia into adjacent western Brazil. Most frequently found in extensive thickets of Guadua bamboo along rivers, floodplains, and forest edges. It also uses terra firme forest with dense bamboo patches and secondary growth where bamboo has colonized gap openings. Local abundance can fluctuate with bamboo flowering and die-off cycles, creating a shifting mosaic of suitable habitat.
Altitude Range
100–1600 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A bamboo specialist, this foliage-gleaner keeps close to dense stands of Guadua bamboo in the western Amazon and Andean foothills. It often joins mixed-species flocks, creeping through culms and dead leaves to pick hidden insects. The small crest is raised when excited, giving the bird a subtly crested profile. Its dependence on bamboo makes it sensitive to local habitat changes and bamboo die-off cycles.
Temperament
skulking and methodical
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats through dense understory
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly, in pairs, or family groups within bamboo patches, and frequently associates with mixed-species flocks of understory insectivores. It forages by climbing and hitching along bamboo culms, probing leaf sheaths and suspended dead leaves. Territorial around productive bamboo stands; both members of a pair often remain in close contact.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a dry, accelerating rattle or series of sharp notes that build and then taper, carrying well through bamboo thickets. Calls include harsh tchik or chek notes and short rattles given while foraging. Vocalizations are emphatic but brief, matching its furtive habits.
