Scaled Piculet

Overview

The scaled piculet (Picumnus squamulatus) is a small bird belonging to the subfamily Picumninae within the woodpecker family Picidae. Originally described in 1854, it is a year-round resident found across Colombia and Venezuela, classified by the IUCN as Least Concern.

Identification

• Body length ranges from 8 to 9.2 cm with a weight of 7 to 12 g, exhibiting a scaly appearance on the plumage due to narrow black borders on feathers.
• Males of the nominate subspecies possess a black cap with red or white feather tips, while females feature white spots on the entire crown.
• Upperparts are olive brown, and underparts are whitish with scaly markings; flight feathers are brown with yellowish edges on the secondaries and tertials.
• Vocalisation consists of a high-pitched squeaky 'chi-chi-ch'e'e'chi' that becomes trill-like at the end.

Habitat

Found in Colombia and Venezuela, this species inhabits semi-open to open landscapes including gallery forest, forest edges, secondary forest, deciduous woodland, farmland with scattered trees, and pastures. It occupies elevations up to 1,900 m and remains a year-round resident throughout its range.

Diet

The scaled piculet feeds on small insects. It forages on thin branches and twigs within dense vegetation or small trees, typically operating singly or in pairs.

Did you know?

This bird may be overlooked in the wild owing to its inconspicuous behaviour, leading to the possibility that it is not as uncommon as its rarity might suggest.