Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker

Overview

The stripe-cheeked woodpecker (Piculus callopterus) is a species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae. It is endemic to Panama, where it is a year-round resident but considered uncommon and local.

Identification

• Bronze-green upperparts with cinnamon-rufous flight feathers barred with dark brown.
• Underparts are buffy white with greenish olive barring, and the throat and upper breast are greenish olive with yellowish spots.
• Males have red from the forehead to the hindneck and widely on the cheek with a buffy white stripe, while females have red only from the back of the crown to the hindneck.
• About 17 cm long with a shortish blackish beak, sky-blue to pale gray iris, and olive-gray legs.
• Primary call is a nasal bi-syllabic note described as 'nyeeeh-wheet'.

Habitat

Found in west-central to eastern Panama, mostly on the Caribbean side, inhabiting the interior and edges of humid forest. It occurs at elevations between 300 and 900 m.

Diet

Usually forages alone or in pairs at the lower to mid-levels of the forest, also joining mixed-species flocks. It feeds mostly by pecking into the substrate, and its diet includes ants.

Did you know?

Nest cavities have been found in dead trees between 3.4 and 6 m above the ground, though detailed breeding biology such as clutch size remains unknown.