The Peruvian recurvebill is a Near Threatened species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil and Peru.
Region
Southwestern Amazon Basin
Typical Environment
Occurs in lowland and foothill humid forests with extensive bamboo (especially Guadua) in Peru, western Brazil (Acre), and northern Bolivia. It favors dense bamboo thickets along river edges, floodplain forest, and terra firme forest with bamboo understory. Birds forage from near ground level up to midstory within bamboo tangles, often in semi-open, disturbed, or secondary growth where bamboo proliferates. The species is patchily distributed, tracking large bamboo patches across the landscape.
Altitude Range
150–900 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A bamboo specialist of the southwestern Amazon, the Peruvian recurvebill uses its strongly upcurved bill to pry and probe between bamboo sheaths for hidden arthropods. It is often tied to patches of Guadua bamboo, making it sensitive to habitat loss and the natural boom–bust cycles of bamboo stands. Formerly placed in the genus Simoxenops, it is now treated in Syndactyla.
Temperament
secretive and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats over brief distances
Social Behavior
Usually found singly or in pairs, frequently accompanying mixed-species flocks confined to bamboo stands. Territorial within suitable patches, with pairs maintaining contact by calls while foraging. Nesting biology is poorly known, but like many furnariids it is presumed to place nests in protected cavities or dense vegetation.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives a sharp, dry series of accelerating notes and chatters from within bamboo thickets. Calls are ticking or tapping in quality, often delivered as quick bursts that carry surprisingly well through dense cover.
Plumage
Mostly plain olive-brown to rufescent-brown upperparts with warmer rufous tones on wings and tail; underparts dull buffy-olive with minimal streaking. The texture appears smooth and unbarred, giving a fairly uniform look except for warmer remiges and rectrices.
Diet
Primarily arthropods, including beetles, spiders, and insect larvae found within or under bamboo sheaths and nodes. It pries, probes, and peels at bamboo surfaces using its recurved bill to access concealed prey. Occasional gleaning from dead leaves and vine tangles supplements its diet. It rarely, if ever, takes fruit.
Preferred Environment
Feeds almost exclusively in dense stands of Guadua bamboo, from near the ground up to midstory. Foraging is concentrated on bamboo culms, dead leaf sheaths, and tangles where insects accumulate.
