Golden-collared Woodpecker

Overview

The golden-collared woodpecker (Dryobates cassini) is a species of bird in the family Picidae found in the Guianas, Venezuela, and Brazil. It is a canopy-dwelling species that is considered poorly known and difficult to observe in the field.

Identification

• Approximately 16 cm long with a longish dark gray beak featuring a paler tip.
• Adults have a mostly buffish white face with fine darker streaks and a distinctive golden-yellow nape and hindneck.
• Males possess a red crown, while females have a brown crown with a green tinge and whitish yellow spots.
• Vocalisations are rare, but when made, consist of a loud, upslurred, rattling trill of 33–35 nasal 'khir' notes that rise in frequency.

Habitat

Found from Amazonas and Bolívar states in Venezuela east and south through the Guianas and Brazil north of the Amazon between the Rio Negro and Amapá. It inhabits the interior and clearings of rainforest as well as more open landscapes with trees and shrubs, ranging in elevation from sea level to 1,500 m.

Diet

The golden-collared woodpecker usually forages alone but may join mixed-species feeding flocks, often hunting in the canopy. While its diet has not been fully detailed, it is known to include Cerambycidae beetles.

Did you know?

This species is described as a 'very poorly known canopy-dwelling woodpecker' that is possibly not uncommon but remains exceptionally difficult to observe.