The curve-billed scythebill is a species of bird in the subfamily Dendrocolaptinae of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guiana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Region
Amazon Basin and Guiana Shield
Typical Environment
Occurs widely across northern Amazonia, including Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname. Prefers interior terra firme rainforest but also uses seasonally flooded várzea and igapó where tall trees and lianas are present. Most often found in the understory to midstory, working along large trunks, limbs, and dense vine tangles. It is uncommon along hard edges and in heavily degraded second growth, favoring continuous canopy and complex structure.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A specialized woodcreeper of Amazonian forests, the curve-billed scythebill uses its extremely long, decurved bill to probe bark crevices, vine tangles, and epiphytes for hidden prey. It often joins mixed-species flocks moving through the midstory, but is otherwise unobtrusive and easily overlooked. Multiple subspecies occur across the Amazon and Guiana Shield, showing subtle vocal and plumage differences. It is sensitive to extensive forest fragmentation and is most frequent in large tracts of mature forest.
Temperament
shy and unobtrusive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats between trunks; generally reluctant flier
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, frequently accompanying mixed-species flocks of understory and midstory birds. Nests in natural cavities or old woodpecker holes in trees; clutch is typically two eggs with shared incubation and care. Territorial singing occurs from interior perches, and birds move methodically along trunks and vines while foraging.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A series of clear, piping whistles that may rise and then slightly fall, delivered in a deliberate pace. Calls include sharp, thin notes and short whistled phrases used for contact within dense forest.
Plumage
Warm rufous-brown overall with fine pale streaking on the crown, nape, and back; wings and tail rich rufous. Underparts buffy to cinnamon with faint mottling.
Diet
Feeds primarily on arthropods such as beetles, orthopterans, spiders, and larvae extracted from bark, dead wood, and leaf clusters. Uses its elongated bill to reach deep into crevices, bromeliads, and rolled leaves where prey is concealed. Occasionally snatches small invertebrates from the surface or probes vine tangles and rotting stubs; small vertebrates are rarely, if ever, taken.
Preferred Environment
Forages on large trunks, branches, and liana networks in mature rainforest, from lower understory to midstory. Often follows mixed-species flocks and may attend army-ant swarms opportunistically along the forest interior.
