White-chinned woodcreeper

The white-chinned woodcreeper is a medium-sized member of its genus with a shortish straight bill. It is 16 to 21 cm (6.3 to 8.3 in) long. Males weigh 28 to 54 g (0.99 to 1.9 oz) and females 29 to 54 g (1.0 to 1.9 oz). Subspecies D. m. merula and D. m. obidensis are significantly larger than the other five. In all subspecies the male and female have the same plumage. The nominate subspecies has mostly dark reddish brown upperparts with slightly redder wing coverts, flight feathers, and tail. A few flight feathers have dark brown tips. It has a narrow white to yellowish vertical stripe on its chin and throat. Its breast is dark olive-brown that becomes dark rufous at the undertail coverts. Its underwing coverts are pale chestnut. Its iris is reddish brown to brown, its bill browish to black with a lighter, though variable, mandible, and its legs and feet are bluish, olive, gray, or brownish. D. m. obidensis is the largest subspecies but is otherwise almost identical to the nominate.

The other five subspecies have gray to bluish irises; they also have some plumage color differences and are generally paler overall than the above two. D. m. remota is the palest of all. D. m. olivascens has an olive cast to its upperparts. D. m. castanoptera has somewhat redder upperparts than the nominate. D. m. badia is redder than castanoptera and has a wider, whiter, throat stripe than all the others. D. m. bartletti has dusky tips to most of its flight feathers.