Cinnamon-throated Woodcreeper Dendrexetastes rufigula Scientific name definitions

The attractive Cinnamon-throated Woodcreeper is the sole member of the genus Dendrexetastes, and is generally subdivided into four subspecies, which vary substantially in underparts and head patterns, especially the nature and extent of any spotting on the breast and ventral regions, which has sometimes led to the suggestion that the species be split into separate species east and west of the Rio Negro in southern Amazonia. However, the fact that the vocalizations of this bulky-bodied and heavy, pale-billed woodcreeper appear to be uniform across the species’ entire range have, to date, proved a stumbling block to any such proposal. The feature from which the species derives its vernacular name, the cinnamon throat, can be hard to see and, in any case, is much less developed in some populations. The Cinnamon-throated Woodcreeper occasionally joins mixed-species flocks in the canopy to midstory, but is more frequently found alone or in well-spaced pairs foraging apart.

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Song, mostly at dawn and dusk, often in near darkness, a rapid grating trill that initially accelerates but then slows near end, sometimes sputtering at first, but almost invariably ending in a characteristic “tchew” or “eernh”. Despite geographic variation in plumage patterns, song varies little throughout Amazonia but possibly more so at N edge of range, where it does not slow as obviously at end.