Celeus castaneus
The Chestnut-colored Woodpecker (*Celeus castaneus*) is a captivating medium-sized avian resident of Central American forests, immediately recognizable by its striking, almost entirely rich chestnut plumage. Averaging 20-24 cm (8-9.5 inches) in length and weighing 60-90 grams, its uniform warm brown body is beautifully contrasted by a prominent, pale creamy-yellow bill, sometimes with a greenish tinge, and pale yellow to whitish eyes. Males are distinguished by a bright red malar stripe, or '...
Primarily inhabits humid evergreen and semi-deciduous tropical and subtropical forests, as well as mature secondary growth and forest edges. Found from sea level up to approximately 1,200-1,600 meters elevation.
Primarily myrmecophagous, its diet consists extensively of ants and termites (and their larvae), supplemented by other insects and occasionally small amounts of fruit. It forages by excavating into wood and tearing apart ant and termite nests.
This diurnal woodpecker actively forages throughout the day, roosting solitarily in tree cavities at night, often utilizing old nesting holes. Its foraging strategy is primarily arboreal, involving hammering, probing, and gleaning on tree trunks and branches, with a particular penchant for excava...
The Chestnut-colored Woodpecker boasts a widespread and continuous resident range across much of Central America. Its distribution begins in southeastern Mexico, encompassing southern Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Chiapas, and extends southward through Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua,...
Least Concern
- The Chestnut-colored Woodpecker's strikingly uniform chestnut plumage makes it easily identifiable among its more barred or spotted relatives. - It possesses a specialized tongue adapted for extracting ants and termites from deep within their nests. - Unlike many woodpeckers, its pale, creamy-y...