Chestnut woodpecker

Celeus elegans

Photo by Maxime Dechelle (GEPOG)

Common name:
chestnut woodpecker (en); pica-pau-chocolate (pt); pic mordoré (fr); carpintero elegante (es); fahlkopfspech (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Picidae

Range:
This species is found in northern South America, east of the Andes, from eastern Colombia and eastern Venezuela, through the Guyanas and Trinidad, and into Maranhão e north-eastern Brazil, and south to northern Bolivia and Mato Grosso e central Brazil.

Size:
These birds are 26-32 cm long and weigh 95-170 g.

Habitat:
The chestnut woodpecker is mostly found in tall, moist tropical forests, including terra firme forests, gallery forests and swamp forests, but also use cocoa plantations. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 1.100 m.

Diet:
They feed on ants, termites and fly larvae, as well as berries and fruits such as Cecropia, citrus and introduced mangos.

Breeding:
Chestnut woodpeckers breed in January-May. They nest in cavities excavated by both sexes into the wood of a dead tree. The female lays 2-4 white eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for 11-14 days. The chicks fledge 18-35 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range but is described as uncommon. The chestnut woodpecker is suspected to lose 15-18% of suitable habitat within its range over the next 15 years based on a model of Amazonian deforestation. It is therefore suspected to suffer a small decline in the near future.

Yellow-browed woodpecker

Piculus aurulentus

Photo by Ricardo Gentil (Flickr)

Common name:
yellow-browed woodpecker (en); pica-pau-dourado (pt); pic à bandeaux (fr); carpintero cejigualdo (es);weißbrauenspecht (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Picidae

Range:
This species is found in south-eastern Brazil, from Espírito Santo down to Rio Grande do Sul, and marginally into south-eastern Paraguay and extreme north-eastern Argentina.

Size:
These birds are 20-22 cm long and weigh about 75 g.

Habitat:
The yellow-browed woodpecker is mostly found in mountain rainforests, also using rainforests at lower altitudes, dry tropical forests, forest edges and dense second growths. They occur at altitudes of 750-2.000 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly on ants and their larvae, and possibly also the larvae of other insects found on tree bark. Occasionally, they also take fruits.

Breeding:
Yellow-browed woodpeckers breed in August-November. Both sexes excavate the nest hole, usually placed in a tree 2-7 m above the ground. There the female lays 2 white eggs with brown spots which are incubated by both parents for 21 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 26 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - NT (Near-Threatened)
This species has a large breeding range, but is described as uncommon and suspected to be declining at a moderately rapid rate due to forests clearance for pastures and cultivation, and fires spreading out from cultivated areas.

Blood-coloured woodpecker

Veniliornis sanguineus

(Photo from Ron Allicock Birding Tours)

Common name:
blood-coloured woodpecker (en); pica-pau-sangue (pt); pic rougeâtre (fr); carpintero sanguíneo (es); blutrückenspecht (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Picidae

Range:
This species is found along the coasts of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.

Size:
These birds are 12-13 cm long and weigh 23-30 g.

Habitat:
The blood-coloured woodpecker is mostly found in mangroves and swamp forests, also using other lowland, moist tropical forests and coffee plantations.

Diet:
They feed on ants, beetles and caterpillars.

Breeding:
These birds breed in February-November, nesting in a hole excavated by both sexes into a dead stump or tree, 1-3 m above the ground. There the female lays 1-3 eggs which are incubated by both sexes. There is no further information regarding the incubation and fledging periods.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a relatively large breeding range and is described as fairly common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Olive woodpecker

Dendropicos griseocephalus

Photo by Graham Searll (Bird Photos)

Common name:
olive woodpecker (en); pica-pau-de-cabeça-cinzenta (pt); pic olive (fr); pito oliváceo (es); goldrückenspecht (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Picidae

Range:
This species occurs in two disjunct areas in Africa. They are found from Angola, east through southern D.R. Congo and Zambia, and into Tanzania and southern Uganda. Also from southern Mozambique and southern Zimbabwe to eastern and southern South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 20 cm long and weigh 35-50 g.

Habitat:
The olive woodpecker is mostly found in moist tropical forests and moist scrublands, particularly along rivers and streams. They also use dry forests and dry scrublands. This species occurs at altitudes of 450-3.700 m.

Diet:
They probe and peck the branches of trees and scrubs in search of wood-boring beetle larvae and pupae, ants, moths and other insects.

Breeding:
Olive woodpeckers breed in February-November, varying among different parts of their range. The nest is a hole excavated by both sexes in the trunk of a tree, where the female lays 2-3 eggs. The eggs are incubated by both sexes for 15-16 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 24-26 days after hatching, but only become fully independent about 3 months later.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be common to uncommon, being local to scarce in Tanzania, uncommon in Angola and generally common in South Africa. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Lesser spotted woodpecker

Dendrocopos minor

Photo by Zsombor Károlyi (Zsombor Károlyi's Photo Blog)

Common name:
lesser spotted woodpecker (en); pica-pau-malhado-pequeno (pt); pic épeichette (fr); pico menor (es); kleinspecht (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Picidae

Range:
This species is found through continental Europe and southern Great Britain, through Turkey and the Caucasus into northern Iran, and along the middle and southern latitudes of Russia into northern Kazakhstan, northern Mongolia, North Korea and northern Japan.

Size:
These birds are 14-16,5 cm long and have a wingspan of 24-29 cm. They weigh 16-28 g.

Habitat:
The lesser spotted woodpecker is mostly found in temperate and boreal deciduous forests, also using the vegetation surrounding fresh water lakes and rivers, rural gardens and urban parks. they occur from sea level up to an altitude of 2.000 m.

Diet:
They feed on small adult and larval insects such as caterpillars, aphids, ants, beetles, and other surface-dwelling arthropods, taken from decaying wood, but also from the surface of branches and from reeds.

Breeding:
Lesser spotted woodpeckers breed in April-July and are mostly monogamous with pair bonds sometimes extending over several years. They nest on a hole excavated in a decaying tree, usually 3-20 m above the ground, where the female lays 4-8 white eggs. The eggs are incubated by both parents for 13-14 days and the chicks fledge 19-21 days after hatching. Each pair usually raises a single brood per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 2,8-13,2 million individuals. The population in Europe have undergone a moderate decline over the last 3 decades, possibly owing to loss of deciduous habitats, loss of orchards, forest fragmentation and admixture of conifers.

Speckle-chested piculet

Picumnus steidachneri

Photo by Gerard Gorman (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
speckle-chested piculet (en); pica-pau-anão-malhado (pt); picumne perlé (fr); carpinterito perlado (es); perlenbrust-zwergspecht (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Picidae

Range:
This species is endemic to Peru, only being found in the central Huallaga valley and very locally in the Utcubamba valley in the Andes of north-western San Martín, in the north of the country.

Size:
These tiny woodpeckers are 10 cm long and weigh 9-11 g.

Habitat:
The speckle-chested piculet is found in moist tropical forests, favouring mountain forests with many epiphytes and tall second growth. They occur at altitudes of 1.100-2.200 m.

Diet:
They forage alone or in small groups, searching for invertebrates in tree bark.

Breeding:
Speckle-chested piculets excavate nest cavities in soft or rotten wood of old trees. the female lays 2-4 eggs which are incubated for 12-14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 21-24 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - EN (Endangered)
This species has a relatively small breeding range and the global population is estimated at 6.000-15.000 individuals. There is no reliable information on population trends, but the speckle-chested piculet is suspected to lose 65% of suitable habitat within its range over the next 13 years based on a model of Amazonian deforestation, so a rapid decline is expected in the near future. Logging as been a problem in the region since at least the 1930s, and deforestation for coca plantations became a serious problem in the 1980s, but has ceased more recently. Continuing population growth and immigration have led to heavy disturbance of forests both through clear-cutting and selective logging, as well as conversion to agriculture, particularly coffee plantations and pastures. Although part of the species range is located within the Alto Mayo Protected Forest, forest clearance has continued unabated.

Knysna woodpecker

Campethera notata

Photo by Trevor Hardaker (Trevor and Margaret Hardaker)

Common name:
Knysna woodpecker (en); pica-pau-de-Knysna (pt); pic tigré (fr); pito de Knysna (es); Knysnaspecht (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Picidae

Range:
This species is endemic to South Africa, occurring around the coast of the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and small parts of KwaZulu-Natal.

Size:
These birds are 22 cm long and weigh about 60 g.

Habitat:
The Knysna woodpecker is found in coastal forests, woodlands and scrublands, namely thornveld, Euphorbia thickets, riparian woodland, coastal white milkwood Sideroxylon inerme thickets and mountain forests, occasionally also using Protea thickets and alien tree plantations.

Diet:
They forage in the forest canopy, hunting adult and larval ants, termites and wood-boring beetles by gleaning, pecking and probing the branches.

Breeding:
Knysna woodpeckers breed in August-November. Both sexes excavate the nest, a hole usually located on the underside of a branch. The female lays 2-4 eggs which are incubated for 13-21 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 25-27 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - NT (Near-Threatened)
This species has a relatively large breeding range and although locally common, the population is thinly dispersed over this range, being estimated at just 1.000-3.300 individuals. There is no evidence that the population is currently in decline but past range contractions in KwaZulu-Natal have been attributed to the clearance of coastal scrublands for sugar-cane farming and township development.

Rufous woodpecker

Celeus brachyurus

Photo by P.J. Vasanthan (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
rufous woodpecker (en); pica-pau-castanho (pt); pic brun (fr); carpintero rufo (es); rötelspecht (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Picidae

Range:
This species is found in south-eastern Asia, from India and Nepal to south-eastern China and south to the Indonesian islands of Java, Sumatra and Borneo.

Size:
These birds are 21-25 cm long and weigh 55-115 g.

Habitat:
The rufous woodpecker is mostly found in primary rainforests and moist tropical scrublands, but also second growths, dry tropical forests, mangroves, palm groves and rural gardens. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.750 m.

Diet:
They hunt insects by gleaning and hammering, mainly taking ants, especially Crematogaster sp. and Phydole sp., but also termites and other small insects. They are also known to eat figs and other fruits, and nectar.

Breeding:
Rufous woodpeckers breed in February-May. They nest in a cavity excavated by both sexes, either on a tree trunk or on an arboreal ant nest, typically 3-15 m above the ground. The female lays 2-3 white eggs which are incubated by both parents for 12-14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents but there is no information regarding the length of the fledgling period.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be locally common to uncommon. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction.

Northern flicker

Colaptes auratus

(Photo from 4Goo)

Common name:
northern flicker (en); pica-pau-pintado (pt); pic flamboyant (fr); carpintero escapulario (es); goldspecht (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Picidae

Range:
This species is found across North America and in Central America as far south as Nicaragua. Also in Cuba and Great Cayman. The ore northern population migrate south to winter in the southern part of the range.

Size:
These birds are 28-35 cm long and have a wingspan of 42-55 cm. They weigh 110-160 g.

Habitat:
The northern flicker is found in various wooded habitats, including moist tropical forests, dry tropical forests, mangroves, temperate forests and boreal forests. They also use pastures, arable land and urban parks and gardens. They re present from sea level up to an altitude of 3.500 m.

Diet:
Unlike other woodpecker, northern flickers forage mostly on the ground, taking ants, beetles,
flies, butterflies, moths, grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, termites, wasps, aphid, spiders and snails. They also eat fruits, berries, seeds, acorns and nuts.

Breeding:
Northern flickers breed in February-July. They are monogamous and can mate for life, with both sexes helping excavate the nest on a dead tree or dead branch on a live tree, or sometimes on a telephone pole. The nest hole is usually up to 3 m above the ground. The female lays 3-12 glossy white eggs, which are incubated by both parents for 11-16 days. The chicks are fed mainly be the male and fledge 24-28 days after hatching. Each pair may raise 1-2 broods per season.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and a global population estimated at 16 million individual. The population has undergone a small decline over the last 4 decades but the cause of this decline is unclear, maybe being caused by competition for nest cavities with other birds, reduced availability of nest sites, or the application of pesticides.

Magellanic woodpecker

Campephilus magellanicus

Photo by Doug Kirwin (Woodpeckers of the World)

Common name:
Magellanic woodpecker (en); pica-pau-de-Magalhães (pt); pic de Magellan (fr); carpintero de Magallanes (es); Magellanspecht (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Picidae

Range:
This species is found in southern Chile and south-western Argentina, from Linares, Chile and Neuquén, Argentina to Tierra del Fuego.

Size:
These large woodpeckers are 36-45 cm long. Males tend to be larger, weighing 310-360 g while the females weigh 270-310 g.

Habitat:
The Magellanic woodpecker is mostly found in mature Nothofagus forests, but also use second growths and managed forests from sea level up to an altitude of 2.000 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly on wood-boring larvae of Coleoptera and Lepidoptera, but also take adult insects, spiders, fruits, sap and occasionally small vertebrates such as lizards, bats and the eggs and fledglings of passerine birds.

Breeding:
Magellanic woodpeckers are monogamous and breed in October-January. The nest is a hole in a tree, excavated by both sexes, usually 9-12 m above the ground. The female lays 2 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for 15-17 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 45-50 days after hatching. The chicks stay with the family group for up to 2 years and may continue to be fed by the parents for up to 1 year after fledging.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is described as uncommon. The population is suspected to in decline owing to ongoing habitat loss and forests fires in the north of its range destroyed large areas of suitable habitat.

White-backed woodpecker

Dendrocopos leucotos

(Photo from Pticyrus)

Common name:
white-backed woodpecker (en); pica-pau-de-dorso-branco (pt); pic à dos blanc (fr); pico dorsiblanco (es); weißrückenspecht (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Picidae

Range:
This species is found from southern Scandinavia and eastern Europe, through southern Russia, northern Kazakhstan and northern Mongolia, and into north-eastern China, Korea and Japan. There are also isolated populations in southern China and Taiwan, Kamchatka, the Caucasus, in central Europa as far west as Switzerland and in the Balkans, Greece, Italy and southern France.

Size:
These birds are 25-28 cm long and have a wingspan of 38-40 cm. They weigh 100-115 g.

Habitat:
The white-backed woodpecker is mostly found in mature, deciduous forests, but also use boreal coniferous forests, moist tropical forests and inland wetlands and rivers. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.850 m.

Diet:
They feed on wood-boring and bark-living insects, such as beetles and larvae, found in dead and decaying wood.

Breeding:
White-backed woodpeckers breed in February-July. They nest in a hole excavated by both sexes on a decaying tree, 1-20 m above the ground. There the female lays 3-5 eggs which are incubated by both sexes for 10-16 days. The chicks are mostly fed by the male and fledge 25-28 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 1-7 million individuals. Despite extending its range in Slovenia and into Switzerland, the population is suspected to be in decline. Massive declines have been observed in Scandinavia. The population is in decline locally throughout much of its range owing to intensive forestry management, removal of dead wood and introduction of conifers.

Yellow-bellied sapsucker

Sphyrapicus varius

Photo by Dominic Sherony (Wikipedia)

Commons name:
yellow-bellied sapsucker (en); pica-pau-de-barriga-amarela (en); pic maculé (fr); chupasavia norteño (es); gelbbauch-saftlecker (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Picidae

Range:
This species breeds across Canada and in the north-eastern United States, and migrate south to winter in the western United States, the Caribbean and Central America as far south as western Panama.

Size:
These birds are 18-22 cm long and have a wingspan of 34-40 cm. They weigh 43-55 g.

Habitat:
The yellow-bellied sapsucker breeds in deciduous and mixed coniferous forests, in boreal and temperate zones. Outside the breeding season they mostly use moist tropical forests, but also pastures, rural areas and even urban areas. They are present from sea level up to an altitude 3.500 m.

Diet:
They feed on insects, such as beetles, ants, moths and dragonflies, but when insects are not available they rely mostly on sap from various trees, namely poplar, willow, birch, maple, hickory, pine, spruce and fir. They also eat fruits, nuts, seeds and buds.

Breeding:
Yellow-bellied sapsuckers breed in April-July. The nest is a hole in a live tree, excavated by both sexes and placed 2-20 m above the ground. There the female lays 4-6 eggs which are incubated by both parents for 10-13 days. The chicks fledge 23-30 days after hatching and become fully independent about 6 weeks later.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the population is estimated at 5-50 million individuals. The yellow-bellied sapsucker is retracting in range, possibly owing to loss of suitable feeding and nesting trees.

Eurasian three-toed woodpecker

Picoides tridactylus

Photo by Johan Stenlund (PBase)

Common name:
Eurasian three-toed woodpecker (en); pica-pau-tridáctilo (pt); pic tridactyle (fr); pico tridáctilo euroasiático (es); dreizehenspecht (de)

Taxonomy
Order Piciformes
Family Picidae

Range:
This species is patchily distributed in central and eastern Europe, with population in Switzerland and Austria, Romania, the Ukraine and Greece, and from Scandinavia and Belarus, through most of Russia and into Kazakhstan, Mongolia, central and northern China and northern Japan.

Size:
These birds are 20-24 cm long and have a wingspan of 32-35 cm. They weigh 60-85 g.

Habitat:
The three-toed woodpecker is mainly found in mature coniferous forests, especially spruce, ocurring both in taiga at higher latitudes, where they prefer damp or swampy areas with much dead wood, and in sub-alpine forests at lower altitudes. They are present at altitudes of 650-4.000 m.

Diet:
They feed on the larvae of tree-dwelling insects, spiders, some berries, and bark cambium.

Breeding:
Three-toed woodpeckers are monogamous and breed in April-July. The male excavates a hole in a dead or dying tree, where the female lays 3-6 white eggs. The eggs are incubated by both parents for 12-15 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 22-25 days after hatching. Each pair raises a single brood per year and they young reach sexual maturity after the first year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and a global population estimated at 5-50 million individuals. Although declines occurred in parts of its European range from since the 1970s, it has been stable across much of its European range since the 1990s.

Robust woodpecker

Campephilus robustus

Photo by Ricardo Gentil (Flickr)

Common name:
robust woodpecker (en); pica-pau-rei (pt); pic robuste (fr); carpintero grande (es); scharlachkopfspecht (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Picidae

Range:
This species is found in south-eastern Brazil, from southern Bahía and Goiás to northern Rio Grande do Sul, and also in eastern Paraguay and marginally into north-eastern Argentina.

Size:
These birds are 31-37 cm long and weigh 230-295 g.

Habitat:
The robust woodpecker is found in moist tropical forests, especially in Araucaria forests. They may occur in disturbed forests where large trees are available. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.200 m.

Diet:
They feed on wood-boring insect larvae and beetles, and also some seeds and berries.

Breeding:
Robust woodpeckers breed in October-December. They nest in a large cavity excavates by both sexes on a large tree. The female lays 2-4 white eggs which are incubated by both parents for 12-15 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 26-28 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as uncommon. It is suspected to have increased its range into Rio Grande do Sul.

Common flameback

Dinopium javanense

Photo by James Eaton (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:common flameback (en); pica-pau-de-dorso-vermelho (pt); pic à dos rouge (fr); pito culirrojo (es); feuerrückenspecht (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Picidae

Range:
This species is found in two separate areas, in south-western India and from north-eastern India and Bangladesh, through Indochina and into southern China, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Size:
These birds are 28-30 cm long and weigh 67-100 g.

Habitat:
The common flameback is tropical moist forests, especially open, secondary forests, but also in dry deciduous woodlands, scrublands, mangroves, arable land, plantations and within urban areas. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.700 m.

Diet:
They eat small insects, such as ants and cockroaches, larvae and also small scorpions, which they catch by gleaning, probing and pecking on the lower levels of the trees.

Breeding:
Common flamebacks breed in November-July. They nest in a cavity excavated on the trunk of a tree, typically less than 5 m above the ground. The clutch consists of 2-3 eggs. there is no information regarding the incubation and fledgling periods.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be locally fairly common to uncommon. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Great spotted woodpecker

Dendrocopos major

Photo by Thomas Hochebner (Woodpeckers of the World)

Common name:
great spotted woodpecker (en); pica-pau-malhado-grande (pt); pic épeiche (fr); pico picapinos (es); buntspecht (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Picidae

Range:
This species is found throughout Europe, with the exceptions of Iceland, Ireland, and northern Scandinavia, in Morocco and Algeria, and through Russia and the Caucasus all the way to southern and eastern China, Korea and Japan.

Size:
These birds are 20-26 cm long and have a wingspan of 38-44 cm. They weigh 70-100 g.

Habitat:
The great spotted woodpecker is mostly found in broad-leaved and coniferous forests, in boreal, temperate and tropical areas, but also in rural gardens, plantations and within urban areas. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.500 m.

Diet:
They feed on seeds and nuts, invertebrates such as beetles and insect larvae, and also bird eggs and nestlings.

Breeding:
Great spotted woodpeckers breed in April-July. They nest in holes in trees, excavated by both sexes. It is placed on the trunk of a tree, about 4 m above the ground. The female lays 4-7 white eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for about 16 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 18-21 days after hatching. Each pair raises a single brood per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and a global population estimated at 73,5-216 million individuals. In parts of Europe the population is known to have undergone a moderate increase over the last 3 decades.

Ground woodpecker

Geocolaptes olivaceus

Photo by Ian White (Flickr)

Common name:
ground woodpecker (en); pica-pau-das-rochas (pt); pic laboureur (fr); pico de la tierra (es); erdspecht (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Picidae

Range:
This species is endemic to South Africa, being found in most of the southern, eastern and western parts of the country, as well as in Lesotho and Swaziland.

Size:
These birds are 22-30 cm long and weigh 105-135 g.

Habitat:
The ground woodpecker is found in rock and boulder strewn mountain slopes, usually in treeless grasslands and scrublands, but also near swamps and marshes. they are present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.100 m.

Diet:
They are highly specialized on ants, digging up subsurface ant nests and licking them up with its sticky tongue. They take adult ants as well as larvae, pupae and eggs, of Camponotus, Anoplolepis, Acantolepis, Crematogaster, Tetramorium, Pheidole, Meranoplus and Solenopsis. Sometimes they also eat beetles and termites.

Breeding:
Ground woodpeckers breed in July-December, with a peak in August-September. They breed in pairs or trios, with both sexes excavate the nest, a long tunnel with an chamber at the end which is usually dug into earthen banks, such as riverbanks and gullies, or in crumbling walls of abandoned buildings or termite mounds. There the female lays 2-5 eggs which are incubated by both parents and possibly also helpers. There is no information regarding the incubation and fledging periods, but the chicks are fed by both parents and helpers and remain with the parents until the onset of the following breeding season.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is reported to be common in most of its range. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Black woodpecker

Dryocopus martius

Photo by Jari Peltomaki (Luonto Portti)

Common name:
black woodpecker (en); pica-pau-preto (pt); pic noir (fr); pito negro (es); schwarzspecht (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Picidae

Range:
This species is widely distributed in Eurasia, from the northern Iberian Peninsula to central China and north to northern Scandinavia and north-eastern Russia.

Size:
These large woodpeckers are 45-55 cm long and have a wingspan of 64-73 cm. They weigh 250-370 g.

Habitat:
The black woodpecker is found in temperate and boreal forests, and to a lesser extent in tropical dry forests. They are most common in mountanous areas, but occur at altitudes of 100-2.400 m.

Diet:
They are insectivorous, eating various insects and their larvae, particularly carpenter ants and other wood-boring insects.

Breeding:
Black woodpeckers breed in April-July. They nest on a deep which they excavate into the trunk of a tree, usually 5-20 m above the ground. There the female lays 2-6 shiny white eggs, which are incubated by both parents for about 13 days. The chicks are fed ants and at larvae by both parents and fledge 25-31 days after hatching, remaining with the parents for at least 1 more week after fledging.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and the global population has been roughly estimated at 4,5-16,8 million individuals. The black woodpecker has expanded its range in western Europe, central Europe and Japan, and the population in Europe has undergone a moderate increase in the last 3 decades.

Red-bellied woodpecker

Melanerpes carolinus

Photo by Tom Friedel (Wikipedia)

Common name:
red-bellied woodpecker (en); pica-pau-de-ventre-vermelho (pt); pic à ventre roux (fr); carpintero de Carolina (es); Carolinaspecht (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Picidae

Range:
This species is found throughout the eastern United States, from South Dakota and Michigan to Massachusetts and south to the Gulf coast from Florida to southern Texas. It is also found in southern Ontario, Canada.

Size:
These birds are 23-27 cm long and have a wingspan of 38-46 cm. They weigh 55-90 g.

Habitat:
They are mostly found in temperate forested, namely oak-hickory forest, pine-hardwood forest, maple and tulip-poplar stands, and pine flatwoods. They can also be found in swamp forests, tropical forests, dry savannas, plantations and rural gardens, especially along rivers and streams. The red-bellied woodpecker is sometimes found within urban areas. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 900 m.

Diet:
Red-bellied woodpeckers are omnivorous, eating fruits, acorns, seeds, berries and tree sap, but also arboreal arthropods such as ants, flies, grasshoppers, beetle larvae, caterpillars and spiders. They are also known to take small vertebrates such as lizards, frogs, small fishes, nestling birds and eggs.

Breeding:
These birds breed in March-June. Both sexes excavate a hole in a dead tree, usually a hardwood or pine, or sometimes on a dead branch of a live tree or a fence post. There the female lays 2-6 white eggs, which are incubated by both parents for 11-12 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 24-26 days after hatching. They usually raise a single brood, or occasionally 2 broods per season.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the population is estimated at 10 million individuals. The red-bellied woodpecker has undergone a small increase over the last 40 years and it is not threatened at present.

fruits, nuts, seeds, berries and tree sap

White woodpecker

 Melanerpes candidus

Photo by Dario Sanches (Wikipedia)

Common name:

white woodpecker (en); pica-pau-branco (pt); pic dominicain (fr); carpintero blanco (es); weißspecht (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Piciformes

Family Picidae

Range:

This South American species is found from French Guyana, in the north, through most of Brazil and into southern Peru, Bolivia and northern Argentina.

Size:

These birds are 24-29 cm long and weigh 98-136 g.

Habitat:

The white woodpecker is mostly found in dry savannas and dry tropical forests, but also in dry grasslands and scrublands with some trees, moist forests, agricultural fields, palm groves, orchards and exotic plantations. they occur from sea level up to an altitude of 2.200 m.

Diet:

They feed on fruits, seeds and insects and are also known to eat honey from bee hives. Their insect prey are mostly Hymenoptera, namely leaf-cutting ants Acromyrmexi, other ants, the wasp Polybia scutellaris and the stingless bee Trigona spinipes.

Breeding:

White woodpeckers breed in September-December. They sometimes breed communally, in groups of 5-8 birds. The nest is a hole in tree or stump, or sometimes a hole among rocks. there the female lays 3-4 white eggs, which are incubated by both parents. there is no information regarding the length of the incubation period. The chicks fledge 35-36 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and is described as uncommon and patchily distributed. The population appears to have expanded its range in the south since the early 1990's. In some areas they may be persecuted due to the damage they cause in orchards and fruit plantations, and in some cases trapped for the cage bird market, but overall the white woodpecker is not threatened.