White-chinned Woodcreeper (Dendrocincla merula)

[order] PASSERIFORMES | [family] Furnariidae | [latin] Dendrocincla merula | [UK] White-chinned Woodcreeper | [FR] Picucule a menton blanc | [DE] Weisskinn-Baumsteiger | [ES] Trepatroncos Barbiblanco | [NL] Witkinmuissspecht

Wood-brown, chin and center of throat with sharp white stripe. Wings and tail chestnut. Unbarred species with a straight brownish-black bill. Female is smaller.

South America : Amazonia

Primarily inhabits lowland terra firme rain forests, also riverine and flooded forest. Found in the open understorey, sometimes in the subcanopy of trees.

Little known. Nest not described but probably in cavity. Nestlings will stay for another 3 months in care of mother after fledging.

It is heavily dependent on army ants in catching its prey. It perches on low branches, always close to the ants. Generally, only one pair or family group is found near the ants. Also spiders, beetles and even small vertebrates. will stake out ant colonies at some distance of nest.

This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Sedentary throughout range.