- Campephilus melanoleucos
Identification
It is identified by the white stripe running down the side of its neck and forming a V on its black back. Its underparts are buff barred with black. The male has an almost totally red head with a black and white spot on the cheek while the female has the broad white stripe extending from the side of the neck across the cheek to the bill.
Distribution
Panama and Trinidad to Argentina (east of the Andes).
Taxonomy
Two subspecies are recognized[1]: Campephilus melanoleucos malherbii Campephilus melanoleucos melanoleucos
Habitat
Forests and more open woodland, gallery forest, always in lowland and mostly humid to wet.
Behaviour
Two white eggs are laid in a nest hole is in a dead tree and incubated by both sexes.
Crimson-crested Woodpeckers chip out holes, often quite large, while searching out insects in trees. They mainly eat insects, including beetle larvae, with some berries. Large size means that they are only able to use relatively solid wood, but not finer branches.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Crimson-crested Woodpecker. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 28 June 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Crimson-crested_Woodpecker
