Picumnus fuscus
The Rusty-necked Piculet (Picumnus fuscus) is a diminutive and often overlooked member of the woodpecker family (Picidae), distinguished within the subfamily Picumninae. Measuring a mere 8-10 cm (3.1-3.9 in) in length and weighing just 8-12 grams, it is among the smallest of its kind. Its plumage features a dull olive-brown back, a paler, whitish to buff belly often faintly streaked, and the species' namesake rusty-rufous patch adorning the hindneck or nape. Males boast a blackish crown speck...
Found primarily in tropical and subtropical moist lowland forests, montane forests, and secondary growth. Often associated with bamboo thickets and forest edges, typically at elevations up to 1,200 meters.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on small beetles, beetle larvae, ants, and other small invertebrates gleaned from bark and decaying wood.
Rusty-necked Piculets are diurnal, often observed singly or in pairs, and occasionally join mixed-species foraging flocks, particularly during the non-breeding season. Their foraging strategy involves meticulously gleaning small insects, larvae, and ants from bark, twigs, and slender branches, fr...
The Rusty-necked Piculet boasts a broad, though somewhat disjunct, distribution across South America. Its primary breeding range extends from southeastern Peru and northern Bolivia, eastward into western and central Brazil, including states like Mato Grosso and Rondônia. Isolated populations also...
Least Concern
- The Rusty-necked Piculet is one of the smallest members of the Picidae family (woodpeckers), making it a tiny, often overlooked specialist. - Unlike most woodpeckers, piculets like the Rusty-necked Piculet do not possess stiff tail feathers, meaning they cannot prop themselves against tree trun...