Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper - Drymornis bridgesii

Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper (Drymornis bridgesii)

Barra do Quaraí, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
August 2004

The Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper is distributed in northern and central Argentina, western Uruguay, western Paraguay and in very restricted areas of southern Bolivia and south-west Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil.

It is found in chaco woodland and scrub including the espinilho area of Rio Grande do Sul where these photos were taken.

It is a remarkable bird in many respects and is thought by many taxonomists to be ancestral to all other woodcreepers.

As you can see from these photos, it perches on the tops of trees, on horizontal branches and, most remarkable of all, on the ground where it often feeds on spiders and other insects. Another unique feature for a woodcreeper is that pairs are given to duetting which is how we found these birds.

This pair seemed to have quite a large territory and, indeed, although we visited the same area on 3 separate days, we only saw or heard the birds on one occasion.

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