Piculus chrysochloros
The Golden-green Woodpecker (Piculus chrysochloros) is a striking Neotropical woodpecker, instantly recognizable by its vibrant golden-green plumage, which provides excellent camouflage amidst lush forest foliage. Measuring 18-22 cm (7.1-8.7 in) in length and weighing 57-78 g (2.0-2.8 oz), its most distinctive field marks include a yellow-streaked ear covert, a pale yellowish throat finely streaked with dark green, and bright yellow to yellowish-green underparts. Males boast a prominent red m...
This species thrives in humid lowland and foothill forests, forest edges, secondary growth, clearings with scattered trees, and even plantations, typically from sea level up to 1200-1500m, occasionally reaching 2000m.
Primarily insectivorous, their diet consists mainly of ants and termites, including their larvae and eggs, supplemented occasionally by other insect larvae, and rarely, fruits or berries. They forage by pecking, probing, and gleaning on tree surfaces.
Golden-green Woodpeckers are primarily diurnal, often foraging during the cooler parts of the day and roosting in excavated tree cavities at night. Their foraging strategy involves extensive pecking, probing, and gleaning on tree trunks and larger branches, with a notable specialization in disman...
The Golden-green Woodpecker boasts an extensive resident range across Central and South America. Its distribution stretches from eastern Panama, continuing south through Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, the Guianas, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina, reaching as far south as northeast...
Least Concern
- The Golden-green Woodpecker is a specialist in consuming ants and termites, a dietary choice that requires physiological adaptations to process formic acid and other defensive chemicals. - Despite its vivid green plumage, which is unusual for many woodpecker species, it provides excellent camou...