Bird
Bird
Buff-throated Woodcreeper
Xiphorhynchus guttatus
The Buff-throated Woodcreeper is a well-camouflaged, bark-climbing bird of Trinidad and Tobago's forests, moving in short hops up tree trunks and along branches in search of insects, often revealed by its loud, ringing song echoing through the forest interior.
The Buff-throated Woodcreeper is a well-camouflaged, bark-climbing bird of Trinidad and Tobago's forests, moving in short hops up tree trunks and along branches in search of insects, often revealed by its loud, ringing song echoing through the forest interior.
Identification
A medium-sized woodcreeper around 22 to 26 cm long, warm brown overall with fine buff streaking on the head, neck, and upper breast, a pale buff throat, and a long, slightly curved bill adapted for probing bark crevices. The tail is stiff and used, along with strong claws, to brace against the trunk while climbing, a feature shared by all woodcreepers.
Ecology
The Buff-throated Woodcreeper forages by climbing up tree trunks and along branches in a spiralling path, gleaning insects, spiders, and other invertebrates from bark crevices, and frequently follows army ant swarms to catch insects and small prey flushed by the advancing ants, without preying on the ants themselves. Its loud, far-carrying, ringing song is a distinctive and frequently heard sound of the forest interior. It nests in a natural tree cavity, often lined with bark flakes and other debris.
Status in T&T
Common in forest and forest edge across both Trinidad and Tobago. It is not threatened. It is protected under the Conservation of Wildlife Act and is not a game species.
Threats
- Forest clearance and fragmentation
