Woodhouse's antpecker is a species of passerine bird found in West Africa that is placed in the estrildid finch family, Estrildidae. The name commemorates the American explorer and collector Samuel Washington Woodhouse.
Region
West Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs in the Upper Guinea forest zone from southeastern Guinea and Sierra Leone through Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire to western Ghana. It inhabits lowland and foothill evergreen forest, including secondary growth, gallery forest, and forest edges. The species favors dense understory with lianas and vine tangles and will use selectively logged or regenerating forest if thick cover remains. It is generally absent from open farmland away from forest but may forage along shaded plantations bordering intact woodland.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Woodhouse's antpecker is a small West African forest finch in the Estrildidae, unusual in the family for being chiefly insectivorous. Its stout bill is adapted for prying and pecking at bark, dead leaves, and insect nests to extract ants, termites, and their larvae. The bird is shy and often keeps to dense vine tangles in the lower forest, making it easy to overlook. It commemorates the American explorer and collector Samuel Washington Woodhouse.
Temperament
shy and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats through dense understory
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly, in pairs, or small family groups, often keeping low in vine tangles. It sometimes joins mixed-species understory flocks while foraging. Breeding is presumed monogamous, with a nest placed low in dense cover; both parents likely attend the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are soft and high-pitched, including thin tseep notes and short trills delivered from cover. The song is simple and subdued, more often a sequence of piping notes than a sustained melody.
Plumage
Small, compact antpecker with plain brown upperparts and paler, subtly scaled or faintly streaked underparts; texture appears smooth and sleek. Males typically show a warm rufous to chestnut crown and nape, with cleaner grayish face and throat; females are duller brown with less contrast. Both sexes have a short, thick-based bill and relatively plain wings and tail suited to understory maneuvering.
Diet
Primarily consumes insects such as ants, termites, beetles, and their larvae, gleaned from bark, dead leaves, and vine tangles. It probes into curled leaves and crevices and may peck at insect nests to extract prey. Small berries or other soft fruits may be taken opportunistically, but animal prey dominates.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in dense understory and mid-understory layers of evergreen forest, especially in tangles of lianas and saplings. Forages along forest edges, trails, and in selectively logged forest where thick cover remains.
