The White- breasted Wood- Wren (Henicorhina
leucosticta; plate 15- 80) is another species often heard
in the Neotropics. Some tropical wren species are
duetting singers, males and females both singing in
close proximity so that the sound appears to be one
song. Wrens forage in pairs and usually remain close
together in the understory, and duetting presumably
helps the two remain aware of each other’s location.
Some wrens are rather large, reaching lengths of
up to 22 cm (8.6 in), and some of these are found
along forest edge or arid scrub and around cultivated
areas. They are much easier to observe than the
forest skulkers. Some, like the Striped- backed Wren
(Campylorhynchus nuchalis), are extensively striped
with black. The most distinctive of the large wrens
may be the White- headed Wren (C. albobrunneus).
It has a white head, breast, and belly, and black wings,
back, and tail, making it quite unmistakable.Bark Drillers: Woodpeckers
There is a lot of wood available in a tropical forest, so it is
little surprise that the Neotropics host nearly 100 species
of woodpeckers (family Picidae, order Piciformes).
These birds probe and drill bark, extracting insects,
mostly larval, by using their long, barbed tongues. TheyPlate 15- 82. The Crimson- crested Woodpecker (Campephilus
melanoleucos), which ranges throughout Amazonia, shows
the typical woodpecker foraging posture while it clings
vertically to the tree. At 36 cm (14 in) long, it is the second-
largest woodpecker species in South America. The largest is
the Magellanic Woodpecker (C. magellanicus), which reaches
43 cm (17 in). But the Magellanic is found only in temperate
Nothofagus (southern beech) forests in southernmost areas
of Chile and Argentina, near Tierra del Fuego. The bird in the
photo is a female. Photo by Nancy Norman.
Plate 15- 84. The Spotted
Piculet (Picumnus pygmaeus)
of eastern Amazonia is one
of 25 piculet species found
in South America. Photo by
Andrew Whittaker.Plate 15- 81. The White Woodpecker (Melanerpes candidus)
is one of many distinctive woodpecker species found in the
Neotropics. Social groups of White Woodpeckers can be
observed in the Brazilian Pantanal as well as other areas in
southern Amazonia. Photo by John Kricher.
Plate 15- 83. Piculets are
chickadee- size woodpeckers
that often assume acrobatic
postures as they forage. This is
the Grayish Piculet (Picumnus
granadensis), found in
northwestern South America.
Most piculet species occupy
limited ranges. Photo by Gina
Nichol.292 chapter 15 neotropical birds: the bustling crowd