Andean Flicker - BirdForum Opus

Male and female
Photo by Momo
Lares trail, Peru, March 2006

Colaptes rupicola

Identification

30cm. Upperside strongly barred in dark brown/pale buff. Underside pale buff with few dark spots on the breast. Head pale buff with dark crown continuing down the rear neck, and with dark malar stripe, red in male. Bill black, eye yellow.

Distribution

South America: found in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina

Taxonomy

Subspecies^[1]

• C. r. cinereicapillus:

• Andean grasslands of extreme southern Ecuador and northern Peru

• C. r. puna:

• Central and southern Peru

• C. r. rupicola:

• Bolivia to northern Chile and north-western Argentina

Habitat

High-altitude bogs, grassland and pastureland with cliffs or road cuts.

Behaviour

Breeding

It excavates its nest hole in a stream bank, cliff face or road cut. 5-9 white eggs are laid.

Diet

The diet primarily includes ants.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Alvaro Jaramillo. 2003. Birds of Chile. Princeton Field Guides. ISBN 0-691-11740-3
3. Avibase
4. Wikipedia

• Arthur Grosset's Birds
• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Andean Flicker. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Andean_Flicker

External Links

Search for photos of Andean Flicker in the gallery

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.