Uniform woodcreeper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Uniform woodcreeper |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Hylexetastes
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| Species: |
uniformis
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| Synonyms | |
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Hylexetastes uniformis |
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The uniform woodcreeper (scientific name: Hylexetastes uniformis) is a type of bird. It belongs to a group of birds called woodcreepers, which are part of the ovenbird family. You can find this bird in Bolivia and Brazil.
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About the Uniform Woodcreeper
Scientists who study birds sometimes have different ideas about how to classify them. For a long time, many experts have agreed that the uniform woodcreeper is one species with two slightly different types, called subspecies.
One group, the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), used to think it was just one type of bird. But in 2023, they decided to include another bird, called Brigida's woodcreeper, as a subspecies of the uniform woodcreeper. This means most major bird groups now agree on the two subspecies.
However, another important bird guide, the Handbook of the Birds of the World, sees both the uniform woodcreeper and Brigida's woodcreeper as types of the red-billed woodcreeper.
In this article, we will follow the idea that there are two subspecies of the uniform woodcreeper:
- H. u. uniformis (first described by Carl Edward Hellmayr in 1909)
- H. u. brigidai (described by da Silva, Novaes, & Oren in 1995)
What Does the Uniform Woodcreeper Look Like?
The uniform woodcreeper is a medium-sized bird. It is about 25 to 30 centimeters (10 to 12 inches) long. Male birds usually weigh between 86.5 and 121 grams (3.1 to 4.3 ounces). Females are a bit heavier, weighing 95 to 118 grams (3.4 to 4.2 ounces).
This bird is quite large and strong for a woodcreeper. It has a short, thick beak. Both male and female birds look very similar.
Colors and Features
Adult uniform woodcreepers have smoky brown or olive-brown feathers on their upper body. Their wings, lower back, and tail feathers are a bright reddish-brown color. Their chest is a warm cinnamon-brown, and their belly is a lighter buffy brown. Sometimes, their belly might have faint, thin stripes.
Their eyes can be brown, reddish-brown, or even red. Their beak is usually a wine-red color, but it can also be brownish. Their legs and feet are green or olive.
The subspecies H. u. brigidai is a little bigger and has a heavier beak than the other subspecies. The only other difference is that H. u. brigidai has pale feathers around its eyes.
Where Does the Uniform Woodcreeper Live?
The uniform woodcreeper lives in parts of Brazil and Bolivia.
Specific Locations
The subspecies H. u. uniformis is found in the Amazon Basin in Brazil. It lives south of the Amazon River, between the Madeira and Xingu rivers. Its range extends south into the Mato Grosso state in Brazil and the northeastern part of Santa Cruz Department in Bolivia.
The subspecies H. u. brigidai also lives south of the Amazon River. It is found from the Xingu River east to the Tocantins and Araguaia rivers.
Preferred Homes
This bird mostly lives in terra firme forests. These are forests on higher ground that do not flood. It also lives in gallery forests, which are forests found along rivers, and in forests that flood during certain seasons.
It is rare to find this bird in semi-deciduous forests, which lose some of their leaves, especially along the Xingu River. The uniform woodcreeper prefers the deep parts of old, primary forests. However, it can also be found at the edges of these forests and in older secondary forests, which have grown back after being cut down.
It usually lives at low elevations. But in the Serra dos Carajás in Brazil's Pará state, it can be found up to 600 meters (about 1,970 feet) high.
How Does the Uniform Woodcreeper Behave?
Movement
The uniform woodcreeper stays in the same area all year round. It does not migrate.
Feeding Habits
The uniform woodcreeper mainly eats arthropods, which are creatures like insects and spiders. It also eats small animals with backbones, such as frogs.
This bird often joins mixed-species foraging flocks. These are groups of different bird species that search for food together. The woodcreeper looks for food from the middle to the upper parts of the forest trees. It picks prey off tree trunks and branches.
It also follows army ant swarms. As the ants move, they disturb other small creatures. The woodcreeper then flies down from a low branch to catch these disturbed prey on the ground.
Reproduction
Scientists do not know much about how the uniform woodcreeper reproduces. It seems their breeding season lasts from at least June to January. The few nests that have been found were in holes near the top of large tree stumps.
Vocalization
The uniform woodcreeper sings mostly at dawn, which is early in the morning. But sometimes, it will sing during the day too.
The song of the uniformis subspecies is a "loud series of about 6 'Weeah weeah - - weeh' notes." The song of the brigidai subspecies is similar.
The bird also makes different calls, such as "screee-wip", "nnyeah", "nyip, nyeek, nyeek, weeweweweip", "cag notes", and "whinh, whaih, whaih".
Conservation Status
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) is an organization that assesses the risk of extinction for different species. However, the IUCN follows the Handbook of the Birds of the World classification. This means they do not assess the uniform woodcreeper separately. Instead, they include it with the red-billed woodcreeper.
Scientists believe the uniform woodcreeper is uncommon or rare throughout the areas where it lives. It seems to be very sensitive to changes in its habitat. This means that if its forest home is changed or destroyed, the bird's population can be negatively affected.
