- Picumnus sclateri
Identification
8-9cm. A tiny woodpecker.
- Black forehead to neck tipped white (male with feathers of forecrown tipped yellow)
- White lores , short white line behind eye
- Dark ear-coverts streaked white
- Dark brownish upperparts with darker barring, but central tail often pale
- Whitish underparts, chin and throat barred blackish, breast more broadly barred, flanks and belly broadly streaked blackish
Juveniles are duller and have off-white streaks on forehead and crown
Variation
Subspecies parvistriatus is much paler and has only narrow bars and streaks on underparts.
Distribution
South America: Ecuador and northwestern Peru.
Uncommon restricted-range species.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
3 subspecies recognized[1]:
- P. s. porcullae in northwestern Peru
- P. s. sclateri in southwest Ecuador and extreme northwest Peru
- P. s. parvistriatus in western Ecuador
Habitat
Dry forest and arid areas with cacti and scrub. Also in lower montane forest in southwest Ecuador.
Occurs from lowlands up to 1400m, locally higher.
Behaviour
Diet
No information on diet, but probably feeds largely on insects.
Forages at lower levels and near ground but sometimes in canopy of bushes to small trees. Sometimes will sit across a thin branch and turn head sideways to hammer at the same branch outside the area between the feet.
Breeding
Breeding season from June to September in Peru, from July to September in Ecuador.
Movements
Presumably a resident species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliot, and J Sargatal, eds. 2002. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 7: Jacamars to Woodpeckers. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334375
- Birdforum member personal observations
- Restall et al. 2006. Birds of Northern South America. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300124156
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Ecuadorian Piculet. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Ecuadorian_Piculet
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
