Golden-olive Woodpecker

The Golden-olive Woodpecker, Piculus rubiginosus, is a resident breeding bird from Mexico south and east to Guyana, northwest Argentina, Trinidad and Tobago.

The habitat of this woodpecker is forests, more open woodland, and cultivation. It is most common in the mountains. Two or three white eggs are laid in a nest hole in a tree and incubated by both sexes. The young are fed by regurgitation.

The Golden-olive Woodpecker is 22 cm long and weighs 68g. Adults are mainly golden olive above with some barring on the tail. The forecrown is grey, and the hindcrown red. The face is yellow-white and the underparts are barred black and yellowish. The bill is black. Adult males have a red moustachial strip which is lacking in the female.

The Tobago subspecies P. r. tobagensis is larger and heavier-billed than the Trinidadian P. r. trinitatis. Some of the South American races have only very narrow yellow barring on the underparts, and Andean birds show a pale eyering.

Golden-olive Woodpeckers mainly eat insects, including ants and beetle larvae, with some fruit and berries. The call of this bird is a loud wheep.

References

• Birds of Venezuela by Hilty, ISBN 0–7136–6418–5
• Birds of Trinidad and Tobago by ffrench, ISBN 0–7136–6759–1