White-spotted Woodpecker

Overview

The white-spotted woodpecker (Dryobates spilogaster), previously classified under the genus Veniliornis, is a monotypic species within the woodpecker family Picidae. It is a year-round resident found across parts of South America, including Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina.

Identification

• Length of 16 to 19.5 cm with a weight of 35 to 45 g; males possess a longer bill than females.
• Males display a buffy to olive forehead and a blackish-brown crown with very narrow red streaks, whereas females have an olive-brown crown with fine white spots.
• Mostly brownish face with a thin white supercilium and 'moustache', olive-green upperparts with yellowish to white feather edges, and dark olive underparts with heavy yellowish-white streaks and bars.
• Vocalisations include 'cheékit ch che che che che che', 'ti-rra-rra', 'reh-reh-reh-reh', and single 'pic' notes when alarmed.

Habitat

Distributed from Goiás and Minas Gerais in Brazil southwards through southeastern Paraguay and most of Uruguay into northeastern Argentina as far as Entre Ríos Province. It inhabits humid lowland forest, gallery forest, isolated patches of forest, open to very open woodland, and lightly wooded parks.

Diet

Forages on tree trunks, saplings, and fence posts by pecking and hammering to extract beetle larvae and other insects. It also plucks fruit and berries for food.

Did you know?

The species was moved from the genus Veniliornis to Dryobates in 2018 following the American Ornithological Society and Clements taxonomy revisions, though the International Ornithological Committee retains the older classification.