White-striped Woodcreeper

The White-striped Woodcreeper, Lepidocolaptes leucogaster, presents itself as a slim, medium-sized bird adorned with a long, slender, and gracefully decurved bill. This species exhibits a uniform plumage between the sexes, characterized by a predominantly pale visage, occasionally marked with dusky streaks.

Identification Tips

Adults of the nominate subspecies boast a visage that ranges from white to buff-white, including ear coverts, supercilium, and eyering, contrasted by a blackish or dusky stripe post the eye. The crown and nape are kissed with blackish to dark brown hues, while the back and wing coverts wear a cloak of olive-brown or tawny. Flight feathers, rump, and tail are painted in shades of cinnamon-rufous to rufous-chestnut, with the throat and breast donning a white to creamy white, the latter with a blackish scaly pattern.

Habitat

The White-striped Woodcreeper is a denizen of humid montane forests, as well as drier oak, pine-oak, and pine-fir forests within subtropical and temperate zones. It also frequents lowland tropical deciduous forests and higher elevation mixed coniferous forests, showing a preference for mature forests but occasionally venturing into secondary growth.

Distribution

Endemic to Mexico, this species is divided into two subspecies: L. l. umbrosus in the northwest and the nominate L. l. leucogaster in the western and southern regions. Its range spans from the Pacific side and interior from Jalisco and Zacatecas south to Oaxaca, and on the Caribbean side from Veracruz south to Oaxaca.

Behaviour

The White-striped Woodcreeper is largely sedentary, with some individuals possibly descending to lower elevations during winter months. It forages either alone or in pairs, often joining mixed-species flocks, and employs a methodical hitching motion in a spiral up trunks and branches to find food.

Song & calls

The song of this woodcreeper is a sputtering trill, reminiscent of a mechanical rattle, while its call is a short, rough trill, adding a percussive element to the forest soundscape.

Breeding

Breeding activities are noted from February to May, with the species nesting in tree cavities. However, much of its breeding biology remains shrouded in mystery.

Diet and Feeding

Arthropods form the crux of its diet. The White-striped Woodcreeper is an adept forager, flaking bark and probing crevices to extract its prey.

Conservation status

The IUCN has classified the White-striped Woodcreeper as Least Concern, with a fairly extensive range and a population estimated to be over 50,000 mature individuals. Despite a suspected population decline, no immediate threats have been pinpointed. It is generally considered fairly common to common at mid-elevations but rarer elsewhere, with a moderate sensitivity to human disturbance.