The cocoa woodcreeper is a species of bird in the subfamily Dendrocolaptinae of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.
Region
Central America and northern South America
Typical Environment
Occurs from southern Central America through Panama into northern Colombia and Venezuela, and on Trinidad and Tobago. It inhabits lowland and foothill humid forests, including mature evergreen forest, tall second growth, and forest edges. Frequently uses vine tangles, gallery forests, and shaded plantations adjacent to forest. Most common in continuous forest but can persist in semi-fragmented landscapes with large trees.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This woodcreeper hitches up trunks and large branches, probing bark, vines, and epiphytes for hidden prey. It often joins mixed-species flocks and readily follows army ant swarms to snatch fleeing insects. Formerly treated within the Buff-throated Woodcreeper complex, it is now recognized as a separate species across Central America and northern South America. Its soft, descending whistles inspired the species name susurrans, meaning ‘whispering’.
X. s. costaricensis at Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica
Cocoa_Woodcreeper at La Selva Lodge - Costa Rica - flash photo
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats between trees
Social Behavior
Usually forages alone or in pairs, often joining mixed-species flocks moving through the midstory. Regularly attends army ant swarms to capture flushed arthropods. Nests in tree cavities or old woodpecker holes, with both sexes participating in nesting duties.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a soft, descending series of clear whistles, often delivered from mid-canopy perches. Calls include quiet, thin notes and short trills given during foraging and contact.
