- Sittasomus griseicapillus
Identification
15cm. Grey-olive head, upper back and underparts, light rufous wings, tail and lower back. The bill is short and thin. The normal call is a fast, high-pitched trill wu-wu-wu-we-we-we-we-ee-ee-ee-ee-we-we-we-we.
Distribution
Mexico through tropical Central America and South America to northern Argentina, and also on Tobago.
Taxonomy
It is the only member of the genus Sittasomus, but the taxon includes several vocally and morphologically distinct froms, so this species may be split in the future.
Subspecies
15 subspecies are recognized[1]:
- S. g. jaliscensis
- S. g. sylvioides
- S. g. gracileus
- S. g. perijanus
- S. g. tachirensis
- S. g. griseus
- S. g. aequatorialis
- S. g. amazonus
- S. g. axillaris
- S. g. transitivus
- S. g. viridis
- S. g. griseicapillus
- S. g. reiseri
- S. g. olivaceus
- S. g. sylviellus
Habitat
Forests and other woodland.
Behaviour
It builds a nest lined with dead leaves in a natural tree hole (not old woodpecker hole), and lays 3 white eggs. Usually, only one parent tends the young.
The diet includes insects and spiders. It normally forages on tree trunks or large branches or on the ground, usually alone.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2012. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2012. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
- Bodrati et al. 2012. Ornithologia Neotropical 23(3):325-334
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Olivaceous Woodcreeper. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 12 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Olivaceous_Woodcreeper
