Rufous-headed Woodpecker - BirdForum Opus

Subspecies C. s. exsul
Photo © by Xyko Paludo
UFAC Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil, December 2017

Celeus spectabilis

Identification

26–28 cm (10¼-11 in)
Male differs from female mainly in having red malar stripe.
Yellowish-buffy on underside, except for black in throat area and upper breast and black barring on flanks. Upperparts are greyer, strongly barred black except on neck which is prominent as a yellowish ring. Head and distal part of wing brownish to rufous, tail dark.

Similar species

Adult Kaempfer's Woodpecker differs in being smaller, lacks black barring on flanks and less strongly barred on nape, and has reduced black on breast. Juvenile of this form lacks black barring on back and has head except crest blackish connecting down to black on breast (expected in August to October, with an immature observed in January).

Distribution

Nominate subspecies
Photo © by jbyrdman67
Island in Rio Napo, Ecuador, July 2013

South America: found in northern Bolivia, westernmost Brazil, eastern Ecuador, and eastern Peru.

Taxonomy

It was formerly considered conspecific with Kaempfer's Woodpecker.

Subspecies

Two subspecies recognized^[1]:

• C. s. spectabilis:

• Lowlands of eastern Ecuador and adjacent northeast Peru

• C. s. exsul:

• Tropical southeast Peru, extreme western Brazil and northern Bolivia

Habitat

Tropical humid forests and woodland. It is often associated with bamboo.

Behaviour

Diet

There is little detailed information, but their diet appears to consist mostly of insects, particularly bamboo ants.

Breeding

Breeding starts in June-July. There is not much more information available.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. SACC proposal to change the name of Kaempfer's Woodpecker
3. Leite et al. 2010. First description of the juvenile plumage of the critically endangered Kaempfer's Woodpecker Celeus obrieni of central Brazil. Ornithologia Tropical 21: 453-456
4. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Jan 2018)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Rufous-headed Woodpecker. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Rufous-headed_Woodpecker

External Links

Search for photos of Rufous-headed Woodpecker in the gallery