Elegant Woodcreeper

About the Elegant Woodcreeper

The elegant woodcreeper (Xiphorhynchus elegans) is a species of bird in the subfamily Dendrocolaptinae of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The elegant woodcreeper has these five subspecies:

X. e. buenavistae Zimmer, JT, 1948 X. e. ornatus Zimmer, JT, 1934 X. e. insignis (Hellmayr, 1905) X. e. juruanus (Ihering, HFA, 1905) X. e. elegans (Pelzeln, 1868) Some authors have treated the elegant woodcreeper and Spix's woodcreeper (X. spixii) as conspecific. Subspecies X. e. insignis and X. e. juruanus have been treated as separate species and also as subspecies of Spix's woodcreeper.

The elegant woodcreeper is a medium-sized member of its genus, with a longish, slim, nearly straight bill. The species is 18 to 22.5 cm (7.1 to 8.9 in) long; males weigh 31 to 38 g (1.1 to 1.3 oz) and females 29 to 35 g (1.0 to 1.2 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies X. e. elegans have a blackish brown face with bold buff streaks, whitish lores, and a pale supercilium. Their crown and nape are dark olive-brown with small buff spots with blackish edges that are streakier... Wikipedia →