Order
Passeriformes
Family
Furnariidae
Genus
Lepidocolaptes
 
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Version 1.0

This is a historic version of this account.  Current version

SPECIES

Streak-headed Woodcreeper Lepidocolaptes souleyetii

Sarah Dzielski
Version: 1.0 — Published March 18, 2016

Breeding

Introduction

Breeding of Streak-headed Woodcreeper is reported from June and July in southern Mexico (Binford 1989); from March-June in Costa Rica (Skutch 1969, Stiles and Skuth 1989); from April-October in Colombia (Hilty and Brown 1986); in June and July in Venezuela (Friedmann and Smith 1950, Thomas 1979); and in April and May on Trinidad (Belcher and Smooker 1936).

During the breeding season, both sexes investigate prospective nest cavities. Cavities range from old woodpecker cavities to natural cavities in living or dead trees, and Streak-headed Woodcreepers may also use nest boxes (Skutch 1969, Solano-Ugalde et al. 2007). They often choose open areas to nest, such as coffee plantations or clearings, but appear to prefer sites located within 1000 ft of forest. They frequently nest in Inga tree cavities with narrow openings (Skutch 1969). Streak-headed Woodcreeper chooses nest cavities 3-25 m above the ground (Hilty and Brown 1986). Streak-headed Woodcreepers line their cavities with a pad of woodchips with which to rest their eggs on. They line their nests with stiff flakes of outer bark, collecting pieces that range from small flakes to strips nearly 5 inches in length. Streak-headed Woodcreepers bring pieces of bark to their nest throughout the incubation period (Skutch 1969).

This species lays two all white eggs per clutch (25-26 mm x 17-18 mm; Skutch 1969, Solano-Ugalde et al. 2007). Both sexes incubate, though the time each sex spends incubating and brooding their young is likely unequal, with a heavier investment coming from females. In one instance, the incubation period spanned 15 days, though this is not enough evidence to suggest a mean time of incubation for all Streak-headed Woodcreepers. Both sexes feed their young in roughly equal amounts. Streak-headed Woodcreepers feed their young insects, and remove fecal sacs from the nest (Skutch 1969). Chicks have dusky-yellowish bills with flesh-to yellow gapes (Skutch 1969, Solano-Ugalde et al. 2007).

Recommended Citation

Dzielski, S. (2016). Streak-headed Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes souleyetii), version 1.0. In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/nb.sthwoo1.01