Crimson-mantled Woodpecker

Overview

The crimson-mantled woodpecker (Colaptes rivolii) is a species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae, classified as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. It is found across parts of South America, including Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

Identification

• Length 23 to 26 cm and weight 85 to 112 g, with a black bill and pale gray legs.
• Plumage features a crimson red nape and mantle, black rump, and yellow underparts with black and red scallops on the breast.
• Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a red crown, while females have a black crown; both have a red-brown to brown iris.
• Vocalisations include a series of rapid metallic notes described as "kee'r'r-ker'r-ke'r'r" for the brevirostris subspecies and a descending low churr for atreps.

Habitat

The species inhabits the interior and edges of humid montane forest and the lower edge of the páramo zone. In Ecuador, it typically ranges at elevations between 2,000 and 3,300 m. Its distribution is split among six subspecies across the Andes and coastal ranges of its range countries.

Diet

It forages at any level of the forest, typically on moss- and lichen-covered limbs and trunks, for small arthropods, especially ants, as well as fruit. It usually forages singly or in pairs but regularly joins mixed-species feeding flocks. It avoids the introduced shrub gorse.

Did you know?

The specific epithet rivolii honours François Victor Masséna, the third Duke of Rivoli, rather than a location or person named Rivoli.