Picumnus dorbignyanus
The Ocellated Piculet (Picumnus dorbignyanus) is a captivating member of the woodpecker family (Picidae), renowned for its diminutive size and unique foraging style. Measuring a mere 10-12 cm in length and weighing just 8-15 grams, it is among the smallest members of its genus. Its plumage features brownish-gray upperparts, often mottled, contrasting with whitish underparts heavily barred or streaked with dusky. The most distinctive field mark is its black crown, adorned with striking white s...
This piculet inhabits humid to dry montane forests, cloud forests, and inter-Andean valleys, favoring areas with Polylepis, Alnus, Escallonia, or Podocarpus trees, typically at elevations between 1,800 and 3,700 meters.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on small insects such as ants (including their larvae and pupae) and beetle larvae, which they extract from bark and wood.
Ocellated Piculets are diurnal, spending their days meticulously foraging on small branches and twigs. Their foraging strategy involves gleaning, probing, and flaking off bark to uncover hidden insects, often hanging acrobatically or using their stiff tail as a prop, much like larger woodpeckers....
The Ocellated Piculet is endemic to the Andes of South America, with a disjointed distribution stretching from central Peru southward through Bolivia into northwestern Argentina. Its primary breeding range encompasses humid montane and cloud forests at high elevations. The nominate subspecies, Pi...
Least Concern
- The Ocellated Piculet is one of the smallest members of the woodpecker family (Picidae), often mistaken for a passerine due to its tiny size. - Unlike most woodpeckers, it rarely, if ever, drums; instead, it relies on high-pitched, delicate calls for communication. - Its scientific name, 'dorbi...