Elegant Woodcreeper Xiphorhynchus elegans Scientific name definitions

Formerly considered conspecific with the Spix’s Woodcreeper (Xiphorhynchus spixii) of eastern Amazonia, the Elegant Woodcreeper, in contrast, has a wide range across western Amazonia, from the west bank of the Tapajós River in Brazil as far west and south as eastern Peru and northern Bolivia, and north to southern Colombia. Like all members of its genus, this is a mid-sized woodcreeper with a relatively long, slender bill, which is rather straighter than that of the Spix’s Woodcreeper. The Elegant Woodcreeper is mainly found in lowland forests, below 600 m, but at the western edge of its range it ascends as high as 1500 m, at least locally. In some areas it enters seasonally flooded forests, as well as being found in sandy-soil savanna woodlands, but the Elegant Woodcreeper mainly prefers humid evergreen terra firme. The species’ diet is chiefly composed of arthropods, and singletons are frequent members of mixed-species flocks.

18–22·5 cm; male 31–38 g, female 29–35 g (nominate). Medium-sized woodcreeper with relatively long, slim, nearly straight bill. Nominate race has blackish-brown face boldly streaked buff, weak supercilium, whitish lores; crown and nape dark olive-brown with small blackish-edged buff spots, these becoming more elongate on nape; back and scapulars somewhat paler brown, marked throughout with large teardrop-shaped buff spots having conspicuous blackish margins; rump, wings and tail cinnamon-rufous to rufous-chestnut, lesser and median coverts, less frequently also greater coverts, with buff shaft stripes or subterminal spots, primary tips blackish, bend of wing cinnamon-rufous; throat buffy whitish, lower edge with dusky feather margins producing scaly appearance; underparts greyish olive-brown, becoming somewhat more ochraceous on lower belly, breast and sides with relatively large, teardrop-shaped spots or chevrons that are buffy with blackish edges, these fading by lower breast, leaving belly, flanks and undertail-coverts weakly streaked to largely unmarked; iris light chestnut to dark brown; upper mandible dark brown to black, lower mandible grey to dirty bluish-grey with brownish tip; legs and feet dark grey, greenish-grey or bluish olive-grey. Much smaller and weaker-billed than any race of X. guttatus. Race juruanus similar to sympatric races of X. chunchotambo but spots on breast smaller, throat somewhat paler, vocalizations different and, in SE Peru and N Bolivia, bill longer, darker; other races differ from X. ocellatus in having back more extensively and more conspicuously marked. Differs from X. spixii in having rounded spots rather than streaks on back, spotted wing-coverts, more rufescent bend of wing, and underparts with rounded spots (rather than elongate streaks) that are largely restricted to breast. Female is slightly smaller than male. Juvenile resembles adult but darker, with fine shaft streaks on scapulars and wing-coverts. Race ornatus is closest to nominate, but spots both above and below larger, coloration at bend of wing duller, general coloration warmer, and rump, wings and tail deeper rufous; buenavistae is also most similar to nominate but bill much paler, shoulder less rufous, streaking on scapulars and coverts less conspicuous; it is apparently greyer than ornatus, with spotting above and below smaller and less ochraceous. Races insignis and juruanus both differ from nominate in having unmarked wing-coverts, markings above narrower, more elongate, largely restricted to upper back; insignis has spots above deeper and more ochraceous in colour, bill more strongly decurved and grey, becoming blackish at base and whitish distally; race juruanus is most like insignis, but bill similar to nominate in shape and colour, spots below significantly smaller and largely confined to upper breast, size slightly larger than others.

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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.

Chiefly humid evergreen forest, principally terra firme and on floodplains, occasionally also seasonally flooded forests (both várzea and igapó) and even forested river islands; along S fringe of Amazonia continues a short way into Cerrado region, frequenting gallery forest and woodlands on sandy soils; may extend into montane evergreen forest at upper end of elevational range. Prefers interior of mature forest, but occasionally occurs in second growth, in thickets of Guadua bamboo, or at forest edge. Mostly in Amazonian lowlands below 600 m, but ranges up E Andean slopes into subtropical zone locally to 1500 m.

Resident.

Diet chiefly arthropods, but small vertebrates occasionally taken. Stomach contents primarily beetles and orthopterans of various types, each representing 25–30% of total, with lesser quantities of spiders, ants, larvae, bugs, and a few small vertebrates; in relation to prey availability, seems to prefer orthopterans and larvae, while avoiding cockroaches (Blattodea). Over ants, also seen to take a large scorpion, which was pounded and chewed before being swallowed. Most prey relatively small, generally less than 1 cm, often much smaller, but largest items 4 cm in length. Single birds, less frequently pairs, are core members of mixed-species flocks of forest understorey. In study in SE Peru individually marked birds spent most of time with flocks (average 83%), but also switched among two adjacent flocks within the territory (about twice as much time spent in primary flock as in secondary flock); seems to show marked preference for flocks with Thamnomanes antshrikes over those without, and in SE Peru seems to prefer flocks led by Dusky-throated Antshrike (T. ardesiacus) to those led by Bluish-slate Antshrike (T. schistogynus), possibly because these flocks forage in lower strata. Found with flocks that move through forest at c. 20 m in 10 minutes, significantly more slowly than those frequented by X. chunchotambo; however, this appears to reflect preference to join flocks moving at that rate, rather than the species itself setting rate of movement. Forages primarily while rapidly hitching up trunks and branches from understorey to subcanopy, most often at 2–10 m, less frequently to 15–20 m above ground. Most prey gleaned or pecked from surface of trunks or limbs (40–75% in various studies); items also taken by probing into epiphytic mosses and lichens (20%), vine stems (15%), dead leaves (10–15%), and occasionally from live foliage (10%) or other substrates; sometimes pries off strips of loose bark. Encountered relatively infrequently at army-ant swarms, then usually in pairs (sometimes alone), foraging primarily within 4 m of ground (most often below 1 m), occasionally to 15 m; even when with ants, most prey pecked from trunks, with some items gleaned from nearby leaves or taken in sallies to the ground or trunks, occasionally during mid-air sallies after falling prey. Suggested as being too active to forage efficiently in association with army ants, and usually does not follow them for long periods; probably an “indirect” ant-follower, attracted more by other birds than by the ants and the prey they flush. Relatively aggressive, begins fights not only with subordinate species but also at times with larger ones; seen to be supplanted by Dendrocolaptes hoffmannsi and D. certhia, and by X. guttatus, but supplants other small Xiphorhynchus and Dendrocincla fuliginosa; aggressive interactions with conspecifics not uncommon. High degree of overlap in diet and substrate use with both X. chunchotambo and X. obsoletus results in intolerance (i.e. aggression at almost every encounter when among flocks), also in interspecific territoriality producing chequerboard pattern of distribution among flocks in SE Peru; reciprocal turnover of territories with X. chunchotambo documented. Pair defends territories of two mixed-species flocks, and largely disregards intruders away from immediate area of these flocks. Territories did not appear to expand or change in location once established, with all new territories established by individuals previously unknown at site. Birds were never displaced from primary flock, and only rarely displaced from secondary flock, during interactions with X. chunchotambo.

Song, given primarily at dawn and dusk, 4·5–5 seconds long, a descending series of c. 30 ringing whistles that begins softly and slows at end, “whit, whit, wit, wit, wit…wit, wit, wee, wee, wee, wit, wit, wit, wit, wew”; also distinctive series 3–4 seconds long of 10–20 sharp whistles that begins with 1–2 forceful notes, then descends and slows, before ending in terminal whine, “chip, chip, cher-cher-che-che-che-che-che-che-che-che, weeur”, and extended series of “eek” notes that slide up and down in frequency and vary in quality from musical to harsh; song appears not to vary much geographically. Most common call an explosive series of 2 (sometimes more) sharp “chip” notes followed by whine, “chip, chip, eeernh”; calls very like those of X. spixii, but possibly given more slowly.

Specimens in breeding condition in mid-Aug to mid-Oct in Brazil (N Mato Grosso); adult incubating in late Sept, eggs hatching in early Oct and a chick fledging in late Oct at a nest in SE Peru. Nest in tree cavity; only one nest described in detail, c. 65 cm above ground in dead stump 1·5 m tall, with covered top, elongate side entrance 18 × 3 cm, no nest material visible at bottom of cavity. Clutch 2 white eggs; incubation period at least 16 days; hatchling with short yellow bill, fluffy grey down, eyes open and feather sheaths appear on back and wings at c. 1 week, feathers on head 4 days later; nestling period 18–19 days, but one chick disappeared from nest at c. 10 days of age. In SE Peru, one individual was at least 8 years old at end of study, occupied same territory for 7 of those years; three others at site were at least 6 years old.

Not globally threatened. Fairly common to common in lowland forest throughout core of range in Brazil, Peru, and even N Bolivia; rare to uncommon and quite local in lowlands of E Ecuador and possibly SE Colombia. Estimated density in mature floodplain-forest in SE Peru 4–6 pairs/100 ha of occupied habitat, where home ranges 4·5–10 ha (average 7 ha), significantly smaller than those of X. chunchotambo at same time. Dependent on forest, and thus believed to be highly sensitive to loss and fragmentation of this habitat. An indicator of tropical lowland evergreen forest in S Amazonia, and more specifically of terra firme forest and floodplain-forest in SE Peru.