Dendrocincla fuliginosa
The Plain-brown Woodcreeper (Dendrocincla fuliginosa) is a medium-sized, unassuming yet captivating member of the woodcreeper family (Dendrocolaptidae), renowned for its uniform, somber plumage. Measuring approximately 18-20 cm (7-8 inches) in length and weighing 30-40 grams, it exhibits a predominantly olive-brown to sooty-brown coloration, often with a slightly paler throat and subtle streaking on the head and neck, though these markings can be indistinct. Its most distinctive field marks i...
Primarily found in humid lowland and foothill evergreen forests, the Plain-brown Woodcreeper also inhabits forest edges, secondary growth, and gallery forests, typically from sea level up to 1500 meters (5000 feet) elevation.
Its diet consists primarily of arthropods, including insects and spiders, which it mainly acquires by following army ant swarms or by gleaning from bark and foliage.
The Plain-brown Woodcreeper is diurnal, exhibiting a generally solitary or pairs-based existence, often roosting communally in tree hollows or dense foliage. Its foraging strategy is famously tied to army ant swarms, where it perches low and makes quick sallies to snatch insects flushed by the an...
The Plain-brown Woodcreeper boasts an extensive Neotropical range, stretching from northern Honduras southward through Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, and across much of northern and central South America. In South America, its distribution includes Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Gu...
Least Concern
- It's one of the most widespread woodcreeper species in the Neotropics, spanning a vast geographic area. - This species is an obligate or near-obligate army ant follower, frequently seen accompanying swarms to catch flushed prey. - Unlike many woodcreepers, its bill is relatively short and strai...