The chestnut-crowned foliage-gleaner is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Region
Amazon Basin and Guianan Shield
Typical Environment
Occurs widely in lowland rainforests of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Prefers dense understory of terra firme and seasonally flooded várzea forests, especially areas with abundant vine tangles and bamboo (Guadua). Often found along river edges and in second growth with sufficient leaf litter and dead foliage. Typically forages from near ground level up to mid-understory, weaving through thickets and probing leaf clusters.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A skulking ovenbird of dense Amazonian understory, the chestnut-crowned foliage-gleaner specializes in riffling through dead, curled leaves to snatch hidden arthropods. It often joins mixed-species flocks, where its persistent foraging helps stir prey for other birds. The species is largely sedentary and relies on intact lowland rainforest, including bamboo thickets and river-edge forests. Like many furnariids, it typically nests in a burrow excavated in an earthen bank.
Temperament
secretive and methodical
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, frequently joining mixed-species flocks moving through the understory. Forages by prying and tearing at dead, curled leaves and debris suspended in vines and bamboo. Nests are typically burrows dug into earthen banks, where a simple chamber holds the clutch. Both adults likely share incubation and chick-feeding duties.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a brief series of harsh, ringing notes that may accelerate or slightly rise, giving a sharp, chattering quality. Calls include dry churrs and scratchy tchik notes delivered from dense cover. Vocalizations carry well through the understory despite being short.
Plumage
Overall warm brown-olive with a distinctly chestnut crown and rufous tail; underparts buffy to tawny with subtle dusky mottling on the throat. Upperparts are plain brownish-olive; wings show rufescent tones. Face is slightly paler with a faint, diffuse eyebrow and darker lores. Feathers are fairly compact and smooth, aiding movement through dense foliage.
Diet
Primarily arthropods, including beetles, caterpillars, orthopterans, and spiders. Gleans and probes from dead, rolled leaves, vine tangles, bamboo culms, and bark crevices. Occasionally flips leaf litter on logs or low branches to expose hidden prey. May sporadically attend mixed-species foraging flocks to exploit disturbed insects.
Preferred Environment
Dense understory of terra firme and várzea forests, especially in bamboo patches and along forested river margins. Often forages 0.5–3 m above ground within thickets and tangles where dead foliage accumulates.
