Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Plain-brown Woodcreeper (Dendrocincla fuliginosa)
Plain-brown Woodcreeper

Plain-brown Woodcreeper

Dendrocincla fuliginosa

The Plain-brown Woodcreeper, Dendrocincla fuliginosa, presents itself as a medium-sized bird within its genus, with a straight bill of moderate length and a subtle crest. Exhibiting sexual dimorphism in size, the females are slightly smaller than their male counterparts, though their plumage is similar. This species is characterized by its dull olive-brown upperparts, rufous-chestnut tail and wings, and a paler underbelly adorned with fine buff streaks.

Identification Tips

To identify the Plain-brown Woodcreeper, look for its narrow buff supercilium and the faint buff stripe beneath a grayish face. The bird's throat ranges from pale gray to buffy, with delicate mottling. Its underwing coverts are a warm cinnamon-buff to ochraceous, and the iris may vary from yellowish brown to dark brown or pale gray. The bill is typically black with lighter edges and tip, while the legs and feet can be black, slate gray, dark brownish olive, or light blue.

Habitat

This species thrives in humid forest environments, predominantly in evergreen forests, but also in deciduous and gallery forests, rainforests, and forests on sandy soils. It can occasionally be found in mangroves and is most commonly seen in the interior of primary forests, mature secondary forests, and less frequently in young secondary forests, bamboo, and plantations.

Distribution

The Plain-brown Woodcreeper is distributed from Honduras through South America to central Brazil, including Trinidad and Tobago. It is a lowland and foothill species, generally found below elevations of 1,300 meters, but can reach up to 2,000 meters in certain areas near the Caribbean coast.

Behaviour

A year-round resident, the Plain-brown Woodcreeper may exhibit some local movements. It forages from the lower to mid-levels of the forest, feeding on a variety of arthropods and small vertebrates. It is known to follow army ant swarms, capturing prey that flees from the ants. The bird often forages alone or as part of a mixed-species feeding flock and is also seen following South American coatis and monkey troops.

Song & calls

The vocal repertoire of the Plain-brown Woodcreeper includes a long whinny, rattle, or sputter that can be transcribed in various ways, such as "Whee-hee-he-hah-huh-huh-huh-huh-huh-huh-huh-hu-hu-hu-hu-hu-hu-hoo-hoo-hooh, wee-i-woo!" It also produces a range of calls including "peeyk," "stieek," and "squeeeik," among others.

Breeding

The breeding season varies by location, with nesting occurring from May to October in Central America and possibly August to December in Amazonia. The Plain-brown Woodcreeper constructs a cup nest in cavities, using dead leaves, plant fibers, and down. Clutch size ranges from one to three eggs, and only the female is known to incubate and care for the young.

Similar Species

Subspecies of the Plain-brown Woodcreeper exhibit variations in plumage and bill coloration, which can be useful in distinguishing them from one another. However, there are no similar species mentioned that could be confused with the Plain-brown Woodcreeper.

Diet and Feeding

The diet consists mainly of arthropods, particularly beetles and orthoptera, and occasionally small vertebrates like lizards. The bird's foraging strategy involves clinging to vertical trunks or vines and making brief flights to capture prey from various surfaces, including the ground and mid-air.

Conservation status

The IUCN has classified the Plain-brown Woodcreeper as Least Concern, with an estimated population of at least five million mature individuals. Despite a decreasing population trend, it remains the most common and widespread woodcreeper of its genus. It is considered highly sensitive to habitat fragmentation and human disturbance in parts of its range and may suffer declines due to deforestation. However, it is thought to be less sensitive than other ant-following species, maintaining stable numbers in selectively logged forests and larger forest fragments.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Plain-brown Woodcreepers on Birda

Sightings
A map showing the sighting location
Profile picture for SERGE Arias
SERGE Arias
15 Jun 2024 - 5:08pm
Costa Rica

More Ovenbirds

Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Emcil24
A Friendly Place
I love using the bird app, I have a pretty good knowledge of birds. But I do have some gaps in it, so it’s nice to have a safe space to check on a sighting to confirm the species. It’s really enjoyable and I love the badges you can collect. It’s like a real life Pokémon go.
Mike T
Sense of Community
A great app, which is continually being improved. What really comes through is the passion of those behind the app. The sense of community is brilliant, so much help and support provided to new and/or in experienced birders.
Sacha0508
Simply fantastic
I love this app, it puts so much fun into recording the birds I’ve seen and heard while I’m out and about. The interface is user-friendly and suitable for all ages. It’s great to collect badges and to review my “lists”.
Nicole
Gets me outdoors more
I'm still loving this app. I use it most days & gets me outdoors more. Enjoying watching others progress and photo's, it's improved my wellbeing.... I love this app! I can keep a record of sightings and see what others have seen too.
Patricia L
Very encouraging birding app
Easy to use, fun to see progress and encouraging to receive feedback from other users.
Marlster24
Very Wholesome App
Joined this app with a new interest in watching birds to help me find out what I was spotting. The community is very active in helping identify birds which is great and everyone is very kind so it’s just a nice wholesome community. I would definitely recommend this for any bird spotter 😄
Madstherangers
A mordern game changer
Birda is an awesome app, its updated the world of birding to the modern day with a fun and easy to use app. It’s engaging and allows positive interaction with fellow bird lovers!
Amylia S
Best app for any birding person!
I love this app!! I am so addicted to it when I saw it had 3 star review I was so sad! The app is awesome!! The best app for any birding person! ❤️
Carrie
Makes you want to spot birds more
I think this app is fun. It makes you want to spot birds more so I guess in a way it encourages you to get out and about instead of sitting in front of the TV.
BCHphotography_
Such a great app!
I didn’t think I could enjoy birding more but this app makes it so much better. Some great features and a really great way to share your sightings with your friends or fellow birders nearby or around the world! ❤️
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.