Northern long-tailed woodcreeper

The northern long-tailed woodcreeper (Deconychura longicauda) is a species of bird in subfamily Dendrocolaptinae of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname.

Northern long-tailed woodcreeper
at Presidente Figueiredo, Amazonas state, Brazil
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Furnariidae
Genus:	Deconychura
Species:	D. longicauda
Binomial name
Deconychura longicauda (Pelzeln, 1868)
Range of the long-tailed woodcreeper sensu lato; see the Taxonomy and Distribution sections for more

Taxonomy and systematics

The northern long-tailed woodcreeper was formerly considered to be part of the former long-tailed woodcreeper (the original Deconychura longicauda) with what are now the little long-tailed woodcreeper (D. typica) and the southern long-tailed woodcreeper (D. pallida). BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) has treated them separately since the 2010s, and the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) followed suit in July 2023. However, the North American and South American Classification Committees of the American Ornithological Society and the Clements taxonomy treat the long-tailed woodcreeper as one species. The AOS notes that it probably consists of at least two and possibly three species.

The northern long-tailed woodcreeper is monotypic.

Description

The northern long-tailed woodcreeper is a medium-sized member of its subfamily, with a slim body, long wings and tail, and a slim medium-length straight bill. It is 16 to 21 cm (6.3 to 8.3 in) long and weighs about 22 to 36 g (0.78 to 1.3 oz). Males are longer and heavier than females, and both length and weight vary among the subspecies. The plumages of males and females are alike. Adults are mostly olive-brown with a darker crown and nape that have fine buff streaks. Their lores and supercilium are whitish to rich buffy. Their wings, uppertail coverts, and tail are rufous-chestnut; their primaries have dusky tips. Their throat varies from whitish buff to ochraceous, their breast is olive-brown with buff streaks, their belly and flanks are plain olive-brown, and their undertail coverts are rufous. Their underwing coverts and the underside of the flight feathers are cinnamon rufous. Their iris is brown, their bill has a brownish maxilla and bluish mandible, and their legs and feet are brown. Juveniles are very similar to adults, with a slightly darker head and fewer pale streaks on the breast.

Distribution

The northern long-tailed woodcreeper is found in the Guianas and in northern Brazil north of the Amazon River and east of the Rio Negro. It inhabits a variety of forested landscapes where it favors the interior of humid primary forest. It does occur at the forest edges and in mature secondary forest. It is mostly found in terra firme and várzea forest up to about 500 m (1,600 ft).

Behavior

Movement

The northern long-tailed woodcreeper is a year-round resident throughout its range.

Feeding

The northern long-tailed woodcreeper mostly forages from the understory to the canopy, about 3 to 20 m (10 to 66 ft) above the ground. It forages singly, in pairs, and in mixed-species feeding flocks; the composition of the last varies. It hitches up trunks and vines, mostly picking or gleaning its prey but sometimes making short sallies to capture it in the air. Its diet is not known in detail but is mostly arthropods, and it seems to favor adults rather than including significant numbers of larvae.

Breeding

Almost nothing is known about the northern long-tailed woodcreeper's breeding biology. The scant evidence indicates that its breeding season varies geographically.

Vocalization

The northern long-tailed woodcreeper's song is "a high, distinctly descending, clear, rather plaintive 'pee-pue-tue-tuh---' ". The species can sing at any time of day, though it is most heard in early morning and late afternoon. It does not sing continuously. Playback of the local song elicits a strong response, so the song "likely has a territorial function".

Status

The IUCN has assessed the northern long-tailed woodcreeper as being of Least Concern. It has a fairly large range but its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. Habitat modification and fragmentation for agriculture and ranching is cited as a threat. It is considered fairly common to common in much of its range but rare in Suriname. It occurs in several protected areas. "It appears to be highly sensitive to habitat modification and requires nearly continuous forest to persist."