The buff-throated woodcreeper is a species of bird in the subfamily Dendrocolaptinae of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Region
Amazon Basin and Guianas
Typical Environment
Inhabits humid lowland and foothill rainforests across much of the Amazon Basin and the Guianas, extending into southern Venezuela and eastern Andean foothills of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. It uses terra firme and seasonally flooded várzea forests, as well as tall secondary growth and forest edges. Often forages on large tree trunks and limbs from the understory to mid-canopy. Common in interior forest but will occur along rivers and in selectively logged areas if large trees remain.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A quintessential woodcreeper of Amazonian rainforests, it braces against trunks with stiff tail feathers while hitching upward to glean prey. It frequently attends army-ant swarms to snatch insects flushed from leaf litter. The buff-colored throat contrasts with its rufous wings and tail, making it one of the more easily recognized woodcreepers. Its presence often signals relatively intact, mature forest.
X. g. guttatoides at Amazonia Lodge, Peru (flash photo)
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats between trees
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, often accompanying mixed-species flocks in the forest interior. Nests in tree cavities or natural holes, with both sexes likely participating in nest duties. Territorial calls are given from trunks while foraging. Regularly follows army-ant swarms but also forages independently.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Delivers a clear series of whistled notes that often descend or accelerate slightly, carrying well through dense forest. Calls include sharp tchik and softer contact whistles when with mixed flocks.
