Skip to main content

Plain Xenops

Xenops minutus
I chose today's animal out of an interest to find a creature whose name started with the letter 'X.' Xenops are birds found within the genus of the same name, and are small bodied with long tails and flat, upturned bills. These bills are used to hammer decaying wood and forage for insects.

The Plain Xenops can be found living in forested areas ranged from Mexico to the southern fringes of the Amazon Basin. They differ from other Xenops in that their back feathers are a sold brown, rather then streaked. They also live at lower elevations than the other Xenops.

All Xenops belong to the Furnariidae family, AKA Ovenbirds. This name is due to the fact that many species build clay nests. Not so for the Plain Xenops! They roost in hollow and decaying trees that they line with plant materials. Both parents help to construct the nest, and to incubate and care for the offspring.

IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Central and South America
Size : Length 4.5 in (12cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Passeriformes
Family : Furnariidae -- Genus : Xenops -- Species : X. minutus

Comments

  1. Very cool. I love learning about new animals, especially birds, and the Xenops was one I didn't know. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice and cool. But how about more on the habitat.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!

Halloween Crab

Gecarcinus quadratus The Halloween Crab goes by many names, including the Red Land Crab, Whitespot Crab, and Moon Crab. I personally like Halloween Crab though, since it really reflects the interesting colors. They have black carapaces, orange-red legs, and purple claws! Halloween Crabs live in the Pacific coast mangroves and forests of Central and South America. They actually live in the forests as adults, and return to the ocean in order to reproduce. Did you know that they live as far away as 18 miles (30km)  from water? Not where you normally think Crabs to be! While living in the forest, the Crabs forage nocturnally for different plant matter, including leaves and sapling. They also dig long burrows into the ground for protection. These burrows can measure nearly 5 ft long! Halloween Crabs are sometimes kept in captivity, and can be very tricky pets due to their excellent climbing skills. IUCN Status :  Not Listed Location :   Cent