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OVENBIRDS

Order Passeriformes    Family Furnaridae

This is a large family of small to medium-sized birds, ranging from 9 to 35 centimetres in length. The ovenbirds are a diverse group of insectivores which get their name from the elaborate, vaguely "oven-like" clay nests built by the Horneros, although most other ovenbirds build stick nests or nest in tunnels or clefts in rock. Furnariid nests are always constructed with a cover. While individial species often are habitat specialists, species of this family can be found in virtually any Neotropical habitat, ranging from city parks inhabited by Rufous Horneros, to tropical Amazonian lowlands by many species of Foliage-gleaners, to temperate barren Andean highlands inhabited by several species of Miners. There are even two species, the Seaside and the Surf Cinclodes,which are associated with rocky coasts.

Ovenbird, Seiurus aurocapillus, of family Parulidae is unrelated to birds in the ovenbird family, Furnariidae. For both cases, the name derives from the oven-like nests that are created.



Woodcreepers and allies


Generally brownish birds, the true woodcreepers maintain an upright vertical posture, supported by their stiff tail vanes (similar to woodpeckers). They feed mainly on insects taken from tree trunks. However, woodcreepers often follow army ant swarms. Woodcreepers are arboreal cavity-nesting birds; two or three white eggs are laid and incubated for about 15 to 21 days. These birds can be difficult to identify in that they tend to have similar brown upperparts, and the more distinctive underparts are hard to see on a bird pressed against a trunk in deep forest shade. The bill shape, extend/shape of spots/streaks, and call are useful aids to determining species.

They superficially resemble the Old World treecreepers, but they are unrelated and the similarities are due to convergent evolution


Genus Campylorhamphus
The scythebills are a type of woodcreeper that have long, down-curved bills.

Scythebill,_Black-billed  Campylorhamphus falcularius  Found: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay
Image by: 1) Hector_Bottai 2) Dario  Sanches - Brazil


Scythebill,_Brown-billed  Campylorhamphus pusillus  Found: Coasta Rica, Panama, South America
Image by: 1) Jose Loiza  2, 3) Nick Athanas - Ecuador


Scythebill,_Curve-billed  Campylorhamphus procurvoides   Found: South America
The Curve-billed Scythebill is a medium-sized woodcreeper with an exceptionally long, slim, down-curved bill.
Image by: 1) Hector_Bottai - Brazil


Scythebill,_Red-billed  Campylorhamphus trochilirostris  Found: South America
The Red-billed Scythebill has rusty-olive plumage; pale streaking on head, mantle, throat; red down-curved bill.
Image by: 1) Michael Woodruff  2) Carlos Henrique   3, 4) Nick Athanas -Brazil, Ecuador



Genus Certhiasomus - 1 species

Woodcreeper,_Spot-throated  Certhiasomus stictolaemus  Found: South America
The Spot-throated Wooecreeper has mainly brown plumage; faintly streaked face, upper breast.
Similar to: Long-tailed Woodcreeper. Long-tailed Woodcreeper is larger than Spot-tailed Woodcreepe; has a proportionally longer bill; has more streaking on face.
Image by: 1) Phillip Stouffer - Brazil



Genus Deconychura - 1 species

Woodcreeper,_Long-tailed   Deconychura longicauda  Found: Central and South America
The Long-tailed Wooecreeper has mainly brown plumage; faintly streaked face, throat, upper breast.
Similar to: Spot-throated Woodcreeper. Long-tailed Woodcreeper is larger than Spot-tailed Woodcreepe; has a proportionally longer bill; has more streaking on face.
Image by: 1) Hector Bottai - Brazil  2) Joe Tobias



Genus Dendrexetastes - 1 species

Woodcreeper,_Cinnamon-throated  Dendrexetastes rufigula  Found: South America
The Cinnamon-throated Woodcreeper does not have a distinctive cinnamon coloroed throat. It has a pale bill.
Image by: 1) Gary_Clark - Ecuador   2, 3) Nick Athanas - Ecuador, Peru



Genus Dendrocincla

Woodcreeper,_Plain-brown  Dendrocincla fuliginosa  Found: Cental America, northern South America
The Plain-brown Woodcreeper has mainly brown plumage; darker moustachial streak; gray around eyes.
Similar to: Plain-winged Woodcreeper. Plain-brown Woodcreeper has rufous tinge.
Image by: 1) Andres Cuervo  2) Fernando Flores - Venezuela  3) Cláudio Timm - Brazil 4) Nick Athanas - Ecuador


Woodcreeper,_Plain-winged  Dendrocincla turdina  Found: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay
The Plain-winged Woodcreeper has mainly brown plumage; buff throat; chestnut tail.
Similar to: Plain-brown Woodcreeper. Plain-brown Woodcreeper has rufous tinge.
Image by: 1) Nick Athanas - Brazil  2, 3) Dario Sanches - Brazil


Woodcreeper,_Ruddy  Dendrocincla homochroa  Found: southern Mexico to northern Colombia and northern Venezuela
The Ruddy Woodcreeper has rufous plumage; paler throat; pale bill slightly down-curved.
Image by: 1) Nick Athanas - Panama  2) Amy McAndrews - Mexico  3) Jorge Montejo - Mexico


Woodcreeper,_Tawny-winged  Dendrocincla anabatina Found: Mexico, Central America
The Tawny-winged Woodcreeper has mainly dark olive-brown plumage; rufous wings; short tail.
Image by: 1) Dominic Sherony  2) Amy McAndrews - Mexico  3) Jerry_Oldenettel - Belize  4) Tom_Murray - Costa Rica


Woodcreeper,_Tyrannine  Dendrocincla tyrannina  Found: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Image by: 1) Nick Athanas - Ecuador  2) nomdeploom - Ecuador


Woodcreeper,_White-chinned  Dendrocincla merula Found: South America
The White-chinned Woodcreeper has mainly brown plumage; narrow white chin (throat).
Image by: 1, 2) Maria Ogrzwalska - Brazil  3) Nick Athanas - Ecuador



Genus Dendrocolaptes
The barred woodcreepers.

Woodcreeper,_Amazonian  also Amazonian Barred-woodcreeper  Dendrocolaptes certhia  Found: South America
Image by: 1) Kent Nickell  2) Cláudio Timm - the Amazon, Brazil   3) Nick_Athanas - Brazil  4) Hector_Bottai


Woodcreeper,_Black-banded  Dendrocolaptes picumnus  Found: Mexico, Central America, South America
Image by: 1) Joseph Blowers  2) Fernando Flores - Venezuela  3) Tony Castro - Peru  4) Hans_Zwitzer - Costa Rica


Woodcreeper,_Hoffman's  Dendrocolaptes hoffmannsi  Found: Brazil
The Hoffman's Woodcreeper has rufous crown; black bill; finely streaked breast.
Image by: 1) Edson Endrigo


Woodcreeper,_Northern Barred-  Dendrocolaptes sanctithomae  Found: southern Mexico through northern South America
The Northern Barred-Woodcreeper has barring on head, underparts. It is large and heavy billed.
Image by: 1) Nick Athanas - Ecuador  2) Amy McAndrews - Mexico  3) Sergey Yeliseev


Woodcreeper,_Planalto  Dendrocolaptes platyrostris  Found: South America
Photograhed by: 1) Cláudio Timm - Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil  2, 3) Dario Sanches



Genus Dendroplex

Woodcreeper,_Straight-billed Dendroplex picus  Found: Central and South America 
The Straight-billed Woodcreeper has mainly rufous-brown plumage; striped breast; white throat; whitish straight bill.
Image by:  1) Dominic Sherony  2) New Jersy Birds  3) Nick Athanas - Panama  4) Hector_Bottai - Brazil


Woodcreeper,_Zimmer's  Dendroplex kienerii  Found: Brazil, Columbia, Peru
Image by: 1) Hector Bottai - Brazil  2) Thiago Laranjeiras - Brazil



Genus Drymornis - 1 species

Woodcreeper,_Scimitar-billed  Drymornis bridgesii   Found: South America 
Image by:  1, 2) Claudio Dias Timm - Uruguay   3) Gustavo_Duran - Argentina  4) Omar_Ortiz



Genus Drymotoxeres - 1 species

Scythebill,_Greater  Drymotoxeres pucheranii  Found: Columbia, Ecuador, Peru
Image by: 1) Marc Athanase



Genus Glyphorynchus - 1 species

Woodcreeper,_Wedged-billed  Glyphorynchus spirurus  Found: southern Mexico to northern South America
The Wedge-billed Woodcreeper has the shortest bill of all Woodcreepers.
Image by: 1) Andres_Cuervo  2) Nick Athanas - Ecuador  3) Michael Woodruff - Ecuador  4) Brendan_Ryan - Brazil



Genus Hylexetastes

Woodcreeper,_Bar-bellied  Hylexetastes stresemanni  Found: westerm Amazon of South America
Image by: 1) John Bates


Woodcreeper,_Red-billed  Hylexetastes perrotii   Found: South America
The Red-billed Woodcreeper has red bill; mainly brown plumage; white moustache.
Image by: 1) Hector_Bottai - Brazil



Genus Lepidocolaptes

Woodcreeper,_Montane  Lepidocolaptes lacrymiger  Found: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
The Montane Woodcreeper has rufous upperparts; brown head; white supercilium; thin down-curved bill; brownish underparts.
Image by: 1) Michael Woodruff - Ecuador  2) Alejandro Tamayo  3) Nick Athanas - Ecuador


Woodcreeper,_Narrow-billed  Lepidocolaptes angustirostris  Found: South America
The Narrow-billed Woodcreeper has rufous-brown upperparts; bold white supercilium; blackish-brown crown; buffy-white underparts with faint brown streaking; slender and slightly down-curved bill.
Image by: 1, 2) Cláudio Timm - Paraná, Brazil  3) Lip kee Yap  4) Cristiano Crolle - River Tigre Delta, Argentina


Woodcreeper,_Scaled  Lepidocolaptes squamatus  Found: Brazil
Similar to: Scalloped Woodcreeper. Scalloped Woodcreeper used to be subspecies of Scaled Woodcreeper. They are, separable on the basis of their crown patterns, and the coloration of the back and tail. Scaled Woodcreeper is found mainly north of Scalloped Woodcreeper; their ranges barely overly.
Image by: 1) Hector Bottai  2, 3) Nick Athanas - Brazil


Woodcreeper,_Scalloped  Lepidocolaptes falcinellus  Found: South America
Similar to: Scaled Woodcreeper. Scalloped Woodcreeper used to be subspecies of Scaled Woodcreeper. They are, separable on the basis of their crown patterns, and the coloration of the back and tail. Scaled Woodcreeper is found mainly north of Scalloped Woodcreeper; their ranges barely overly.
Image by: 1) Dario Sanches  2, 3) Cláudio Timm - Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil


Woodcreeper,_Spot-crowned  Lepidocolaptes affinis  Found; Mexica, Central America
Image by: 1) Patty McGann - Panama  2, 3) Amy McAndrews - Mexico


Woodcreeper,_Streak-headed  Lepidocolaptes souleyetii  Found: Central America, northernSouth America
The Streak-headed Woodcreeper has rufous-brown upperparts; buffy steaking on crown, nape; whitish streaking on face; white throat; brown underparts with buffy streaking.
Image by: 1, 2) Nick Athanas - Ecuador, Costa Rica  3) Dominic Sherony - Hondorus  4) Steve Garvie - Trinidad


Woodcreeper,_White-striped  Lepidocolaptes leucogaster  Found: Mexico
The White-striped Woodcreeper has mainly warm brown upperparts; black with white stripes head, underparts; white cheeks, throat.
Image by: 1) Ron Knight  2) Pinned



Genus Nasica - 1 species

Woodcreeper,_Long-billed   Nasica longirostris  Found: South America
The Long-billed Woodcreeper is easely identified by its long bill.
Image by: 1) Hector Bottai - Brazil 2) Tony Morris - Venezuela  3) Nick Athanas - Ecuador  4) Valentin - Ecuador



Genus Sittasomus - 1 species

Woodcreeper,_Olivaceous  Sittasomus griseicapillus  Found: northern South America
The Olivaceous Woodcreeper has mainly olive plumgage; ligther collar, underparts.
Image by: 1) Cláudio Timm  2) Nick Athanas - Ecuador, Brazil 3) Joao_Quental  4) Luisa_Mota



Genus Xiphocolaptes

Woodcreeper,_Great-rufous  Xiphocolaptes major  Found: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay
The Great-rufous Woodcreeper has rufous plumage; whitish throat; reddish eyes; pale blue-gray bill. It is large, big bodies, and has a thick bill.
Image by: 1) Nick Athanas - Brazil  2) Andreas_Trepte  3) Hector Bottai - Brazil   4) Bernard_Dupont - Brazil


Woodcreeper,_Moustached  Xiphocolaptes falcirostris  Found: Brazil
Image by: 1) Nick Athanas


Woodcreeper,_Strong-billed  Xiphocolaptes promeropirhynchus  Found: Mexico, Central America, South America
The Strong-billed Woodcreeper has mainly brown plumage; striped face, breast; large down-curved bill; brown of blackish bill.
Image by: 1, 2) Nick Athanas - Ecuador, Columbia 3) Dave Curtis - Venezuela  4) Barloventomagico - Venezuela
1) X. p. ignotus   2) X. p. sanctaemartae


Woodcreeper,_White-throated  Xiphocolaptes albicollis Found: South America
The White-throated Woodcreeper has brown upperparts; streaked brown underparts with barred belly; dark bill; streaked head, neck; white throat.
Image by: 1) Cláudio Timm - Brazil  2) Nick Athanas - Brazil  3) Dario Sanches - Brazil




Genus Xiphorhynchus

Woodcreeper,_Black-striped  Xiphorhynchus lachrymosus  Found: Nicaragua to western Columbia and Ecuador
Image by: 1) Aaron_Maizlish - Panama  2) Julian_Tysoe  3) Francesco_Veronesi - Panama  4) Dominic Sherony - Panama 


Woodcreeper,_Buff-throated  Xiphorhynchus guttatus  Found: South America
The Buff-throated Woodcreeper has mainly rufous upperparts; streaked buff mantle, head, neck, breast; olive-brown underparts; long, slightly down-curved bill.
Image by: 1) Bernard_Dupont - Brazil  2) Alastair Rae - Brazil  3) Nick Athanas - Brazil


Woodcreeper,_Chestnut-rumped  Xiphorhynchus pardalotus  Found: northeast South America
Image by: 1) Hector Bottai - Brazil  2) Thiago Costa - Brazil  3) Pinned


Woodcreeper,_Cocoa  Xiphorhynchus susurrans  Found: Central America, Columbia, Venezuela
Image by: 1) Jerry Oldenettel - Costa Rica  2)  Aaron_Maizlish - Panama 3) Tom_Murray - Costa Rica  4) Kathy_and_Sam - Costa Rica


Woodcreeper,_Elegant  Xiphorhynchus elegans  Found: South America
The Elegant Woodcreeper was previously considered a subspecies of Spix's Woodcreeper.
Similar to: Ocellated Woodcreeper. Elegant Woodcreeper appears more spotted than the streakier Ocellated Woodcreeper.
Image by: 1) Marcus_Aurelio_Barros  2) Cláudio Timm - the Amazon, Brazil  3) Nick Athanas - Brazil


Woodcreeper,_Ivory-billed  Xiphorhynchus flavigaster  Found: Mexico, Central America
The Ivory-billed Woodcreeper has rufous wings, tail; long pale bill; otherwise grayish-brown.
Image by: 1) Steve Garvie - Costa Rica  2) Ron_Knight  3) Ninahale


Woodcreeper,_Lesser  Xiphorhynchus fuscus  Found: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay
Image by: 1) Dario Sanches - Brazil  2) Francesco_Veronesi - Brazil


Woodcreeper,_Ocellated  Xiphorhynchus ocellatus  Found: olivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
The Ocellated Woodcreeper has streaks on throat, upper-breast. On close examination the streaks appear to be overlapping spots.
Simitlar to: Elegant Woodcreeper. Elegant Woodcreeper appears more spotted than the streakier Ocellated Woodcreeper.
Image by: 1) Claudio Timm  2) Nick_Athanas - Ecuador


Woodcreeper,_Olive-backed  Xiphorhynchus triangularis  Found: northwestern South America from 1000 to 2500 meters
The Olive-backed Woodcreeper olive-brown upperparts; rufous-olive wings, tail; dull brown head; underparts marked with buffy spots.
Image by: 1) Nick Athanas - Peru  2) Eric Gropp


Woodcreeper,_Spix's  Xiphorhynchus spixii  Found: northeast Brazil
The Elegant Woodcreeper was previously considered a subspecies of Spix's Woodcreeper.
Image by: 1) Hector_Bottai - Brazil


Woodcreeper,_Spotted  Xiphorhynchus erythropygius  Found: southern Mexico to Columbia and Ecuador
The Spotted Woodcreeper has olive-brown head, back, breast; spotted head turns to short streaks on back; breast spotted with oblong buffy spots.
Image by: 1) Matt MacGillvray - Costa Rica  2) Dave Curtis - Panama  3, 4) Nick Athanas - Peru, Ecuador  4) Michael Woodruff - Ecuador 



Woodcreeper,_Striped  Xiphorhynchus obsoletus  Found: South America
Image by: 1) Tony Morris - Venezuela  2, 3) Nick Athanas - Columbia. Brazil 3) Hector Bottai - Brazil 





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