The cocoa woodcreeper (Xiphorhynchus susurrans) is a species of bird in the subfamily Dendrocolaptinae of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.

Taxonomy and systematics

The cocoa woodcreeper was formerly included in the buff-throated woodcreeper (X. guttatus) but since the 1990s has been recognized as a separate species. The two form a superspecies. Biogeography and molecular data suggest that the relationships among the subspecies of both deserve further study; some may be assigned to the wrong species or be species in their own right.

The cocoa woodcreeper has these eight subspecies that fall into two groups:

  • "Lawrence's" or "nana" group
  • X. s. confinis <small>(Bangs, 1903)</small>
  • X. s. costaricensis <small>(Ridgway, 1888)</small>
  • X. s. marginatus <small>Griscom, 1927</small>
  • X. s. nana <small>(Lawrence, 1863)</small>
  • X. s. rosenbergi <small>Bangs, 1910</small>
  • "Cocoa" or "susurrans" group
  • X. s. jardinei <small>(Dalmas, 1900)</small>
  • X. s. margaritae <small>Phelps Sr. & Phelps Jr., 1949</small>
  • X. s. susurrans <small>(Jardine, 1847)</small>

left|thumb|X. s. costaricensis at [[Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica]]

Description

thumb|left|Cocoa_Woodcreeper at La Selva Lodge - Costa Rica - flash photo

The cocoa woodcreeper is long and weighs . It is a medium-sized member of genus Xiphorhynchus, with a long, fairly heavy, slightly decurved bill. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies X. s. susurrans have a mostly dusky face with buff streaks and a whitish supercilium. Their crown and nape are dark brown to blackish with longish buff spots that are streakier on the neck and nape. Their upper back and wing coverts are olive-brown to brown, with blackish-edged buff streaks on the back that narrow to nothing on the lower back. Their lower back, rump, tail, and flight feathers are rufous-chestnut, with dusky tips on the primaries. Their throat is whitish to pale buff with thin black scaling. Their breast, sides, and belly are reddish brown that becomes redder on the undertail coverts. Their underparts are grayish olive to buffy brown; their upper breast has dusky-edged buffy white spots that become thin streaks on the lower breast and disappear on the belly. Their undertail coverts are mostly unstreaked. Their underwing coverts are cinnamon. Their iris is dark brown, their bill mostly black with sometimes brownish gray in the middle of the mandible, and their legs and feet dark blue-gray, greenish gray, or yellowish gray. Juveniles are overall darker than adults and have a shorter and blacker bill, less bold spots on the crown, and wider streaks on the underparts.

  • "Cocoa" or "susurrans" group (typically spotted underparts)
  • X. s. jardinei, more rufescent back, deeper buff throat and underparts
  • X. s. margaritae, spots rather than scaly pattern on the throat
  • "Lawrence's" or "nana" group (typically streaked underparts)
  • X. s. nana, deep buff throat, bold streaks rather than spots on the breast and belly
  • X. s. confinis, more whitish throat, weaker but more extensive streaks than nana
  • X. s. costaricensis, darker and deeper reddish back and rump, darker and more olive underparts, reduced streaking compared to nana
  • X. s. marginatus, darker chestnut wings and tail, larger dusky tips on primaries, brighter buff throat, blackish edges on crown and nape feathers
  • X. s. rosenbergi, much like nana with wider and more boldly edged breast streaks

Distribution and habitat

The subspecies of the cocoa woodcreeper are found thus:

Behavior

Movement

The cocoa woodcreeper is a year-round resident throughout its range.