The bar-bellied woodcreeper is a species of bird in the subfamily Dendrocolaptinae of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Region
Western and central Amazon Basin
Typical Environment
Occurs in lowland evergreen forests of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, mainly within terra firme and seasonally flooded (várzea) forests. It favors interior and edges of mature forest, tall secondary growth, and gallery forests along major rivers. Typically uses large trees with rough bark and substantial limbs for foraging. Most activity is in the lower to mid-canopy, but it will ascend into higher strata when following mixed flocks.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A large Amazonian woodcreeper, it forages by hitching up trunks and large branches, prying insects from bark and crevices with its powerful bill. It often joins mixed-species flocks and may attend army-ant swarms to capture flushed prey. The species depends on extensive mature forest and is sensitive to fragmentation.
Temperament
quiet, elusive, and moderately territorial
Flight Pattern
short, direct flights with rapid wingbeats between trunks; generally reluctant to fly long distances
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, often accompanying mixed-species foraging flocks. Nests in natural cavities or old woodpecker holes in large trees; likely monogamous with both adults attending young. Spends much time methodically climbing trunks and large branches while foraging.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Delivers a series of clear, mellow whistles, often slightly descending and spaced at regular intervals. Calls include sharp ticks and soft churrs when with flocks or at foraging sites.
