Dendrocincla merula
The White-chinned Woodcreeper (Dendrocincla merula) is a medium-sized, robust passerine bird endemic to the Amazon basin and Guianan Shield. Measuring approximately 19-21 cm (7.5-8.3 inches) in length and weighing between 30-42 grams (1.1-1.5 oz), this species is characterized by its uniformly dark brown plumage, often with a rufous cast to the wings and tail, and its most distinctive field mark: a prominent, contrasting white or pale buff chin and throat. Its bill is sturdy, relatively strai...
Found primarily in lowland humid tropical and subtropical rainforests, typically at elevations from sea level up to 500 meters, occasionally higher.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on a wide variety of arthropods, including spiders, cockroaches, crickets, and beetles, mostly captured by ambushing prey flushed by army ant swarms.
The White-chinned Woodcreeper exhibits a unique daily activity pattern centered around following army ant swarms, a behavior that distinguishes it from many other woodcreeper species. Instead of extensively gleaning bark, it perches low to mid-story, making short sallies to snatch arthropods flus...
The White-chinned Woodcreeper boasts a wide, continuous distribution across the Amazon basin and the Guianan Shield in northern South America. Its breeding range extends through much of Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, and northern Boliv...
Least Concern
- The White-chinned Woodcreeper is an 'obligate' army ant follower, meaning it relies heavily on the insects flushed by ant swarms for its diet, unlike many woodcreepers that forage directly on tree trunks. - Its foraging style involves watching from a low perch and darting out to catch prey, rat...