Rufous-headed woodpecker

Last updated

Rufous-headed woodpecker
Celeus spectabilis.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Genus: Celeus
Species:
C. spectabilis
Binomial name
Celeus spectabilis
Celeus spectabilis map.svg

The rufous-headed woodpecker (Celeus spectabilis) is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru. [2]

Contents

Taxonomy and systematics

The rufous-headed woodpecker has two subspecies, the nominate C. s. spectabilis (Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1880) and C. s. exsul (Bond & Meyer de Schauensee, 1941). [2] What is now Kaempfer's woodpecker (C. obrieni) was included as a third subspecies until the early 2000s. [3]

Male in Acre, Brazil Rufous-headed woodpecker-Celeus spectabilis.jpg
Male in Acre, Brazil

Description

The rufous-headed woodpecker is about 26 to 28 cm (10 to 11 in) long. Subspecies C. s. exsul weighs about 111 g (3.9 oz); weight data are lacking for the nominate. The sexes differ only on their heads: Adult males of both subspecies have a deep red malar patch and a larger one on their bushy crest; females do not have the red malar and have at most a trace of red on the crest. Both sexes of both subspecies have a rufous-chestnut head. They have a cream-buff patch low on the neck that extends down the side of the breast and a black lower throat and breast. Their hindneck and upper back are creamy buff to pale cinnamon-yellow with very wide black bars. Their lower back, rump, and uppertail coverts are yellow-buff to cinnamon-buff, sometimes with a few black streaks. Their wing coverts are black with cream-buff edges and narrow bars. Their primaries are brownish black with rufous bases, and their secondaries and tertials rufous-chestnut with black tips. Their tail is black, sometimes with pale barring on the outermost pair of feathers. On the nominate, the sides of the breast and the rest of their underparts are cream-buff to pale cinnamon-buff with heavy black bars on the former and black chevrons on the latter. Subspecies C. s. exsul has variable black marking on its underparts, though usually there is less barring on the breast than the nominate, and the belly has chevrons or heart-shaped marks. Both subspecies' bills are pale yellowish or grayish ivory, their iris deep red-brown, and their legs olive green to grayish. Juveniles resemble adults but have a darker bill, more blackish on the front of the head, and more red on the crown. [4]

Distribution and habitat

The nominate subspecies of rufous-headed woodpecker is found in eastern Ecuador and northeastern Peru. Subspecies C. s. exsul is found in southeastern Peru, in Brazil's Acre state, and in northern Bolivia's Beni and Cochabamba departments. The species inhabits humid tropical rainforest, usually along rivers and on their islands. In Peru and Brazil it is often associated with Chusquea and Guadua bamboo, while in Ecuador if favors landscapes with Cecropia trees, and an understorey of Gynerium cane with much Heliconia . In elevation it ranges only as high as about 300 m (1,000 ft). [4]

Behavior

Movement

The rufous-headed woodpecker is a year-round resident throughout its range. [4]

Feeding

The rufous-headed woodpecker is believed to feed mainly on bamboo ants, though its diet probably includes other insects as well. It typically forages singly or in pairs, and at any level of the forest and also on fallen logs. It probes and very forcefully pecks at trunks, branches, and bamboo to reveal its prey. [4]

Breeding

The rufous-headed woodpecker's breeding season in Peru includes at least from June to August but is unknown elsewhere. Only two nests have been described; one was about 3 m (10 ft) up in a dead snag and the other about 2 m (7 ft) up in a live Cavanillesia tree. The first was predated before the unrecorded number of eggs hatched. The second held one chick that was being provisioned by a male. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding biology. [4]

Vocal and non-vocal sounds

The rufous-headed woodpecker's song is "a loud squealing 'skweeah' followed by bubbling 'kluh-kluh-kluh-kluh-kluh' series". It also gives "a mewing chuckle, 'wur-hee-hrr-hrr-hrr'", and when agitated "harsh squawks". It drums "rolls being evenly pitched" and loud when the substrate is hollow bamboo. [4]

Status

The IUCN has assessed the rufous-headed woodpecker as being of Least Concern. It has a fairly large range but its population size and trend are not known. No immediate threats have been identified. [1] It is considered generally rare though not uncommon in its small Brazilian range. "In view of its apparently strict habitat requirements and its low density and general scarcity, however, it may perhaps merit the conservation status of Near Threatened." [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The chestnut woodpecker a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found on Trinidad and in every mainland South American country except Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-flanked antwren</span> Species of bird

The white-flanked antwren is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found from Honduras to Panama in Central America, in every mainland South American country except Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, and on Trinidad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cream-colored woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The cream-colored woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in every mainland South American country except Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plain xenops</span> Species of bird

The plain xenops is a passerine bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in the tropical New World from southern Mexico south as far as northern Bolivia and east across Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wedge-billed woodcreeper</span> Species of bird

The wedge-billed woodcreeper is a sub-oscine passerine bird in subfamily Dendrocolaptinae of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Mexico, Central America, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaempfer's woodpecker</span> Species of bird

Kaempfer's woodpecker, also known as the Piauí woodpecker and previously as the caatinga woodpecker, is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is endemic to Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-vented ground cuckoo</span> Species of bird

The rufous-vented ground cuckoo is a Vulnerable species of cuckoo in the tribe Neomorphini of subfamily Crotophaginae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amazonian antshrike</span> Species of bird

The Amazonian antshrike is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in every mainland South American country except Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocellated woodcreeper</span> Species of bird

The ocellated woodcreeper is a species of bird in the subfamily Dendrocolaptinae of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blond-crested woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The blond-crested woodpecker is a species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scaly-breasted woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The scaly-breasted woodpecker, also known as the scale-breasted woodpecker, is a subspecies of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. Some taxonomists consider it a separate species. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinnamon woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The cinnamon woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Panama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pale-crested woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The pale-crested woodpecker a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ringed woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The ringed woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in every mainland South American country except Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waved woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The waved woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andean flicker</span> Species of woodpecker

The Andean flicker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden-green woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The golden-green woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Panama and every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-throated woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The yellow-throated woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-breasted piculet</span> Species of woodpecker

The rufous-breasted piculet is a species of bird in subfamily Picumninae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ochre-backed woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The ochre-backed woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is endemic to Brazil.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2016). "Rufous-headed Woodpecker Celeus spectabilis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22733772A95064536. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22733772A95064536.en . Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  2. 1 2 Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P., eds. (January 2023). "Woodpeckers". IOC World Bird List. v 13.1. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  3. Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 30 January 2023. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved January 30, 2023
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Winkler, H. and D. A. Christie (2020). Rufous-headed Woodpecker (Celeus spectabilis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.ruhwoo1.01 retrieved February 5, 2023

Further reading

Gorman, Gerard (2014). Woodpeckers of the World: A Photographic Guide. Firefly Books. p. 379–380. ISBN   978-1770853096.