Bird Guide

Amazonian Barred Woodcreeper vs Northern Barred Woodcreeper

Amazonian Barred Woodcreeper (Dendrocolaptes certhia)

Amazonian Barred Woodcreeper

Dendrocolaptes certhia

Medium69 gForest

The Amazonian barred woodcreeper is one of the larger members of its subfamily. It is slim, with a long tail, a medium-length straight bill with a slightly hooked tip, and (in the male) a shaggy crest. It is 26 to 28.5 cm (10 to 11 in) long. Males weigh 50 to 73.5 g (1.8 to 2.6 oz) and females 52 to 79 g (1.8 to 2.8 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies D. c. certhia have a mostly brownish face with fine barring, a weak supercilium, and pale lores and auriculars. Their forehead to crown are darkish olive-brown with golden-buff streaks on the crown. Voice: The Amazonian barred woodcreeper mostly sings at dawn, sometimes at dusk, and rarely during the day. Its song is "a rapidly delivered series...of roughly 8–15 simple notes, ascends slightly at first and then descends and slows", also described as "rapid, whinnying, run-together series of up to 12 notes, 1st rising then fading and falling off.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Amazonian Barred Woodcreeper
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Call, calls · Morona-Santiago: e-slope Cord. de Cutucú: Uuntsuants, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: avocat · CC BY 4.0
Northern Barred Woodcreeper (Dendrocolaptes sanctithomae)

Northern Barred Woodcreeper

Dendrocolaptes sanctithomae

Medium67 gForest

The northern barred woodcreeper is one of the larger members of its subfamily. It is slim, with a long tail, a medium-length straight bill, and (in the male) a shaggy crest. It is 25 to 29 cm (9.8 to 11 in) long. Males weigh 53 to 72 g (1.9 to 2.5 oz) and females 54 to 83 g (1.9 to 2.9 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies D. s. sanctithomae have a mostly cinnamon-brown face with fine barring, a faint rufous supercilium, black lores, and a rich rufescent forehead, crown, and nape. Voice: The northern barred woodcreeper mostly sings at dawn and dusk but also intermittently during the day. The song of the "western" three subspecies is a series of loud whistles that rise at the end. It is variously put in words as "téw-wee, téw-wee, téw-weea", a "slightly nasal pwee-PWEE-PWEE-PWEE-peeeurr", "a penetrating doh-wee, doh-wee, doh-wee, do-wee", and "oowít, oowít, oowít, OOWIT, OOWIT!".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Northern Barred Woodcreeper
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Esmeraldas: Canandé, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Melissa McMasters from Memphis, TN, United States · CC BY 2.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Amazonian Barred Woodcreeper and Northern Barred Woodcreeper.