Veniliornis affinis
The Red-stained Woodpecker (*Veniliornis affinis*) is a vibrant, small to medium-sized member of the Picidae family, typically measuring 16-18 cm (6.3-7.1 inches) in length and weighing approximately 30-40 grams. Its plumage is predominantly a striking olive-green on the back and wings, with a paler, often streaked, yellow-greenish belly and flanks that can show fine dark barring. A key identification feature is its prominent sexual dimorphism in head coloration: males boast a bright red crow...
This woodpecker primarily inhabits subtropical and tropical moist lowland and montane forests, favoring forest edges, clearings, and mature secondary growth. It is typically found at elevations ranging from sea level up to 2000 meters, occasionally higher in parts of its Andean distribution.
Its diet consists mainly of arthropods, including insect larvae, beetles, and ants, which it gleans and probes from bark and decaying wood.
The Red-stained Woodpecker is a diurnal species, active from dawn to dusk, often foraging solitarily or in pairs, though it frequently joins mixed-species foraging flocks, particularly those led by tanagers or antwrens. Its primary foraging strategy involves gleaning insects and larvae from bark ...
The Red-stained Woodpecker boasts an extensive Neotropical distribution, spanning from southern Mexico (specifically Chiapas) southeastward through Central America, including Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. In South America, its range extends across Colombia, Venez...
Least Concern
- The Red-stained Woodpecker is one of the smaller members of the woodpecker family found in the Neotropics, often dwarfed by its larger cousins. - Unlike many woodpeckers that drum extensively, this species is more specialized in gleaning insects from bark and foliage, using its beak like forcep...