Green-barred Woodpecker

Overview

The green-barred woodpecker or green-barred flicker (Colaptes melanochloros) is a species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae. It is a year-round resident in much of its range and is considered to be of Least Concern by the IUCN.

Identification

• 27 to 30 cm long with yellowish green upperparts featuring dark brown bars.
• Males have a red hindcrown and nape with a red malar stripe, while females have a black malar with white streaks.
• Underparts are pale green, usually darker on the breast with black spots.
• Call described as a "kwiek-kwik-kwik" along with notes such as "peah, krrew, and peek."

Habitat

Inhabits a variety of landscapes from dry desert scrub to subtropical humid forest, often in lowlands and foothills but reaching 3,000 m in Bolivia. It is a year-round resident in most of its range, though the southernmost population is at least partly migratory. Found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

Diet

Diet consists almost entirely of ants, including their larvae and pupae, as well as other insects like termites and Orthoptera. They also consume cactus fruits and berries, acting as the principal seed disperser for Myrsine lancifolia and Myrsine coriacea. The species forages singly or in pairs, sometimes with campo flickers, feeding on the ground and in the lower and middle levels of trees.

Did you know?

The specific epithet melanochloros combines the Ancient Greek melas meaning "black" with khlōros meaning "green" or "yellow". The species was originally based on a specimen that was mistakenly believed to have been collected in Cayenne, French Guiana, although the bird does not occur there.