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.
Plumage
Overall warm brown to olive-brown with fine dark barring concentrated on the belly and lower underparts; wings and tail typically rufescent. Feathers appear dense and slightly glossy on the upperparts with subtle scaling on the throat and breast.
Diet
Primarily arthropods such as beetles, ants, termites, spiders, and caterpillars gleaned from bark, epiphytes, and crevices. Will pry loose bark and probe deep cracks with its robust bill. Occasionally takes small vertebrates like lizards or small frogs when available, especially around ant swarms.
Preferred Environment
Forages on large trunks, snags, and thick branches in mature forest, especially in terra firme and riverine forests. Frequently joins mixed flocks in the mid to lower strata and sometimes follows army-ant swarms to capture flushed prey.
