Scimitar-billed woodcreeper

Drymornis bridgesii

Photo by Cláudio Timm (Flickr)

Common name:
scimitar-billed woodcreeper (en); arapaçu-platino (pt); grimpar porte-sabre (fr); trepatroncos chinchero (es); degenschnabel-baumsteiger (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Dendrocolaptidae

Range:
This species is found in Argentina, south-eastern Bolivia, extreme southern Brazil, western Paraguay and western and central Uruguay.

Size:
These birds are29-35 cm long and weigh 75-110 g.

Habitat:
The scimitar-billed woodcreeper is mostly found in chaco woodland and scrublands, savannas with Acacia and Proposis, palm savannas, dry tropical forests and rural gardens. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.000 m.

Diet:
They feed on spiders, centipedes, millipedes, scorpions and insects such as locusts, caterpillars and the larvae of beetles and ant-lions.

Breeding:
Scimitar-billed woodcreepers breed in September-December. They nest in tree cavities, using both natural cavities and old woodpecker nests, occasionally also using abandoned nests of rufous hornero Furnarius rufus or even unused chimneys. The nest is usually 1-2 m above the ground and lined with leaves, bark or wood chips. The female lays 3 white eggs, which are incubated by both parents for about 14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 3 weeks after hatching, but remain dependent on the parents for several months.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as uncommon to fairly common.
The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.