Blond-crested Woodpecker - BirdForum Opus

Male subspecies C. f. flavescens
Photo © by Francisco Paludo
Joinville, SC, Brazil, 3 June 2016

Celeus flavescens

Identification

27–30 cm (10½-11¾ in)
Male

• Black upperparts with narrow white or buff stripes
• Blond crest
• Red malar and cheek band
  

Female

• Streaked black and white
• Lacks red malar stripe

Similar Species

Differs from similar Ochre-backed Woodpecker in that Blond-crested Woodpecker has whitish-buff, not ochre-orange head color, pale barring on upperparts much narrower, and larger size.

Male subspecies C. f. intercedens
Photo © by Rogerio Araújo Dias
Brasilia, Brazil, 27 August 2006

Distribution

South America: Eastern Brazil to eastern Bolivia and northeast Argentina.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are 2 subspecies^[1]:

• C. f. intercedens:

• Eastern Brazil (western Bahia to Goiás and Minas Gerais)

• C. f. flavescens:

• Eastern Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) to eastern Paraguay and north-eastern Argentina

C. f. ochraceus: Lower Amazonian and eastern Brazil south to eastern Bahia has been elevated to full species status as Ochre-backed Woodpecker.

Habitat

Humid forest, savanna and scrub.

Behaviour

Diet

Their main diet consists of ants and termites, with the addition of some fruit.

Breeding

They nest in tree holes, often utilising the nests of arboreal ants.

Voice

Resonant loud tsew or wee repeated up to seven times.

Gallery

Click images to see larger version

• 

  Female subspecies C. f. flavescens
  Photo © by Arthur Grosset
  Linhares, Espírito Santo, Brazil, March 2004

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Arthur Grosset
3. Birdforum thread discussing taxonomy of Celeus woodpeckers
4. Winkler, H. & Christie, D.A. (2018). Blond-crested Woodpecker ('Celeus flavescens'). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/56281 on 25 November 2018).

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Blond-crested Woodpecker. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 17 March 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Blond-crested_Woodpecker

External Links

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