Guianan Woodcreeper Lepidocolaptes albolineatus Scientific name definitions

Guianan Woodcreeper is one of several taxa that previously was included in a single, polytypic species, Lineated Woodcreeper Lepidocolaptes albolineatus. Each subspecies of "Lineated Woodcreeper" proves to be both vocally and genetically distinct, and so all now are recognized as separate species. Guianan Woodcreeper occurs in the lowlands north of the Amazon, in Brazil north of the Amazon and east of the Rio Negro), eastern Venezuela, and the Guianas. It probably is allopatric from other members of the "Lineated Woodcreeper" complex. Plumage differences between the species are subtle, but Guianan Woodcreeper is readily distinguished by its song, which is a soft trill that rises and then falls in pitch.

17–19 cm; male 19–24 g, female 18–20·5 g. Relatively small, slim woodcreeper with slim, decurved bill , weakly marked upperparts, boldly streaked underparts. Face, crown and nape dusky brown, the crown finely spotted with buff (diminishing on nape and absent on back); back and wing-coverts dark russet-brown, and rump, wings and tail rufous-chestnut; primaries tipped blackish brown; throat buffy and unmarked, blending to grayish brown or olive-brown on breast and belly, and more cinnamon-brown on undertail coverts; upper neck, breast and below boldly streaked pale buff to creamy white, each elongate streak having narrow but well-defined blackish border and ending in pointed tip; underwing coverts cinnamon to ochraceous; iris dark brown to chestnut; maxilla blackish or brown to dark horn-gray basally, but often blending to pale horn or yellowish distally, mandible whitish or pale gray to pinkish; legs and feet brown, gray or greenish gray to dusky pea-green. Distinguished from most others in genus by largely unmarked upperparts, and from Xiphorhynchus also by slim decurved bill, lack of streaking above but extensive streaking below. Male is slightly larger than female. Juvenile resembles adult, but upperparts darker, crown grayer with bolder spotting that extends weakly as streaks to upper back, streaking on underparts whiter, somewhat reduced, with weaker borders.

NE Amazonia in E Venezuela (Delta Amacuro, NE Bolívar), the Guianas and N Brazil (N of Amazon from R Branco and R Negro E to Amapá).

Primarily terra firme forest and floodplain-forest, less often swamp-forest or flooded forest; savanna forest in Suriname, and even semi-deciduous and gallery forests at some sites. Prefers mature forest with tall canopy, older second growth, and forest edge; rarely, enters scrubby second growth. Unlike most Amazonian woodcreepers, a characteristic species of forest canopy. Mainly below 1000 m; occasionally to 1800 m in Venezuela.

Presumably resident.

Chiefly insectivorous. Most prey relatively small, but observed to take items up to 3 cm in length. Usually seen in pairs or singly among mixed-species flocks foraging in upper levels and canopy of tall forest; affinity for canopy results in its presence in significantly more flocks lacking Thamnomanes antshrikes than in those led by them. Regularly forages near tops of tallest trees available; descends to subcanopy or mid-levels only on occasion (especially at edges), and rarely, if ever, to understorey. Obtains prey largely while hitching along large (often horizontal) branches in canopy, taking items from surface of both smooth and rough bark, or from crevices, knotholes and, occasionally, clusters of both live and dead vegetation; regularly creeps along undersides of limbs. Vast majority of prey taken by picking or flaking bark; sallies after flushed prey used only infrequently. Despite high degree of overlap in diet and substrate use with other gleaning woodcreepers, its preference for canopy results in few interactions; however, clearly subordinate to much larger Xiphorhynchus guttatus when they do meet.

Song , given intermittently, is a soft trill like that of a becard (Pachyramphus) that rises and falls in pitch, and trails off at end, comprising a series of 20–40 notes and lasts c. 2–3 seconds, which sounds faster, lower-pitched and more chattering than song of neighbouring and formerly conspecific L. duidae.

Breeds during dry season in the Guianas, with fledging at one nest in mid Sept (French Guiana); in Brazil, birds in non-breeding condition in Feb–Mar in Roraima. Nest in cavity, only one described was near top of dead stump with entrance c. 12 m up; pair seen bringing bark chips to another cavity in live tree, entrance 12 cm × 2 cm (early Aug, French Guiana), but, despite regular singing from tree and shell fragments at its base in early Sept, no feeding ever observed. Clutch size not documented; at one nest, one nestling fledged well before its sibling, which continued to be fed at nest for additional three days.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Poorly known owing to its preference for remaining well above ground; probably uncommon to fairly common throughout range. Not only is it difficult to observe and very rarely captured in mist-nets at ground level, but its vocalizations are generally unremarkable and easily mistaken (especially within flocks in which it is usually associated). Believed to be dependent on forest, thus likely to be highly sensitive to habitat modification; disappeared from forests that had been selectively logged in preceding two years, and present only in much-reduced numbers even 8–12 years later.