The black-banded woodcreeper is a sub-oscine passerine bird in subfamily Dendrocolaptinae of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found discontinuously from Chiapas, Mexico, to Panama and in every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.
Region
Central and South America (Neotropics)
Typical Environment
Occurs discontinuously from southern Mexico through Central America into most of South America, absent only from Chile and Uruguay. Prefers humid evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, including terra firme, floodplain, and foothill forests. It is most frequent in interior and edge of mature forest but also uses well-developed secondary growth and riparian corridors. Typically forages from the lower to mid-canopy on large trunks and limbs, and may enter forest fragments if large trees remain.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This large woodcreeper braces itself with a stiff tail as it climbs trunks and thick limbs, probing bark and crevices for hidden prey. It often joins mixed-species flocks and will at times attend army-ant swarms to catch flushed insects. Several subspecies vary in the boldness of the black banding across the underparts. Its presence is a good indicator of mature, structurally complex forest.
Temperament
quiet and unobtrusive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with undulating, trunk-to-trunk flights
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, frequently accompanying mixed-species foraging flocks. Nests in natural cavities or old woodpecker holes, with both sexes participating in incubation and care. Territorial songs are given from mid-level perches within forest.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a clear series of whistled notes that slightly accelerate or descend, carrying well through dense forest. Calls include sharp chips and mellow whistles given during foraging or contact.
Plumage
Warm brown to rufescent upperparts with subtle darker vermiculation, contrasting with boldly black-banded buffy underparts. Throat paler with fine dusky streaking; tail often more rufous. Feathers appear sleek and closely fitted, aiding its bark-gleaning lifestyle.
Diet
Primarily arthropods such as beetles, ants, cockroaches, moths and their larvae, and spiders. It gleans and probes from bark, pries prey from crevices, and occasionally sallies short distances to snatch insects. It may attend army-ant swarms opportunistically and will take small vertebrates rarely.
Preferred Environment
Feeds on large trunks and stout branches from the understory to mid-canopy inside mature forest. Often forages along forest edges, riparian strips, and in tall secondary growth where large trees remain.
