Xiphorhynchus susurrans
The Cocoa Woodcreeper, Xiphorhynchus susurrans, is a fascinating medium-sized Neotropical passerine, typically measuring 20-23 cm (8-9 inches) in length and weighing 30-45 grams. Its plumage is a rich olive-brown on the upperparts, contrasting sharply with its rufous wings, rump, and tail, which are often prominently displayed in flight. Key field marks include distinct pale buffy or whitish streaking on its head, neck, and breast, often finely outlined in black, and a noticeable pale superci...
Found in humid lowland and foothill forests, forest edges, cacao plantations, and mature secondary growth, typically at elevations from sea level up to 1500 meters.
Feeds primarily on a variety of arthropods, including insects, spiders, and centipedes, and occasionally small vertebrates. Foraging involves probing and gleaning from bark crevices and mosses.
Primarily diurnal, the Cocoa Woodcreeper is often observed methodically ascending tree trunks and large branches in a characteristic spiral fashion. It employs its sturdy, slightly decurved bill to probe and glean arthropods from bark crevices, mosses, and epiphytes, occasionally pecking at softe...
The Cocoa Woodcreeper is a resident species distributed across a wide swath of northern South America and southern Central America. Its range extends from central Panama, through Colombia and Venezuela, across the Guyanas (Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana), and into northern Brazil along the Amazo...
Least Concern
- The Cocoa Woodcreeper gets its name not from eating cocoa, but from its frequent presence in cacao (cocoa bean) plantations, which offer suitable forested habitat and ample foraging opportunities. - Its specialized foraging technique involves spiraling up tree trunks and branches, probing and g...