Olivaceous Piculet

Overview

The olivaceous piculet (Picumnus olivaceus) is a species of woodpecker in the subfamily Picumninae. It is found throughout Central America and western South America, from Guatemala south to Peru.

Identification

• Measures 8.5 to 10 cm in length and weighs 10 to 15 g.
• Males of the nominate subspecies feature a black crown and nape with red feather tips and white spots, while females have white spots on the crown and lack the red.
• Upperparts are olive-brown with a yellow tinge; underparts are yellowish brown on the breast with brownish streaks on the belly and flanks.
• Vocalisations include a high, thin chippering trill that often descends in pitch, along with sharp sibilant sounds like 'sst, ssip-ssip'.

Habitat

The species inhabits a wide variety of landscapes including the edges of rainforest and cloudforest, drier forests, open woodlands, secondary forest, plantations, and gardens. It prefers the edges and shuns the interior of mature forest. While primarily a lowland bird, it reaches altitudes up to 2,300 m in Venezuela.

Diet

The olivaceous piculet forages on slender branches, stems, and vines, typically in the undergrowth or mid-storey. Its primary diet consists of ant and termite adults, larvae, and pupae, which it extracts from holes it drills or gleans from twigs and leaves. It also consumes beetles and cockroach eggs.

Did you know?

Both sexes excavate nest holes in rotting wood, including man-made structures such as fence posts, usually within two metres of the ground though sometimes as high as nine metres.