Scaled Piculet
Picumnus squamulatus
Tiny, scale-covered piculet with sandy brown back and dirty white underparts. Male has black crown with red forecrown, dark with white dots in female. The dusky scaling is variable in intensity, being weaker in the southern regions and stronger in northern regions. Forages actively along small branches and vines, in mixed flocks, alone, or in pairs; very territorial. Common and widespread in dry to humid forest, light woodland, and shrubby areas, including urban settings. Voice three to six high and well-spaced notes, “seek…seek...seek.” The only scaled piculet, but southern populations can be similar to White-bellied Piculet, separated by Scaled’s smaller size, smaller bill, and less contrast between red and black in crown of male.
Identification
The scaled piculet is 8 to 9.2 cm (3.1 to 3.6 in) long and weighs 7 to 12 g (0.25 to 0.42 oz). Adult males of the nominate subspecies P. s. squamulatus have a black cap with red feather tips on the forehead and white ones on the rest of it. Their face is mostly brown with black tips on some feathers and a whitish line behind the eye. Their upperparts are olive brown with a scaly appearance due to narrow black borders on the feathers. Their flight feathers are brown with yellowish edges on the secondaries and tertials. Their tail is brownish black; the innermost pair of feathers have mostly white inner webs and the outer two pairs have a white area near the tip. Their chin and throat feathers are white with narrow gray-brown tips. The rest of their underparts are whitish with scaly markings similar to those of the upperparts. Adult females are identical but for white spots on their entire crown. Juveniles are darker above than adults and the scaly pattern on their underparts is more diffuse.<p>Subspecies P. s. roehli often has yellow or orange spots on the forehead instead of red ones, brighter upperparts than the nominate, a brownish yellow tinge to the belly, and narrower markings on the underparts. P. s. lovejoyi's forehead spots are always yellow and its upperparts are grayer than the nominate's. P. s. obsoletus has a yellow-green tinge to the upperparts and has yellowish white underparts with paler and finer "scale" markings and dark streaks in the feather centers. P. s. apurensis appears whiter than the nominate on its underparts, and the scaly marks are narrow and indistinct.<p>The scaled piculet makes a "high-pitched squeaky 'chi-chi-ch’e’e’chi', becoming trill-like at [the] end."
Taxonomy
The scaled piculet was formally described in 1854 by the French ornithologist Frédéric de Lafresnaye under the current binomial name Picumnus squamulatus based on a specimen collected in Colombia. The specific epithet is from Latin squamula meaning "little scale".<p>Five subspecies are recognised:<p>Subspecies P. s. lovejoyi might not be distinctive enough to warrant treatment as a taxon.<p>A study published in 2014 found that the black-dotted piculet, P. nigropunctatus Zimmer and Phelps (1950) was a junior synonym of Picumnus obsoletus Allen, JA (1892).
- Scientific name
- Picumnus squamulatus
- Authority
- Lafresnaye, 1854
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Picidae
- Genus
- Picumnus
Range and habitat
The scaled piculet inhabits a variety of semi-open to open landscapes including gallery forest, the edges of primary forest, secondary forest, deciduous woodland, farmland with scattered trees, and pastures. In elevation it ranges up to 1,900 m (6,200 ft). As far as is known, the scaled piculet is a year-round resident throughout its range.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The scaled piculet feeds on small insects. It forages on thin branches and twigs in dense vegetation or small trees, usually singly or in pairs.<p>The scaled piculet's breeding season is not well defined, but appears to include October to January in Colombia and April to June (and perhaps to September) in Venezuela. Nothing else is known about its breeding biology.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Impressive large black woodpecker a white belly and pale eyes. Male has a bright red crest, whereas female has an all-dark one. Large size and mostly black plumage distinguishes this species from any other woodpecker in range. Gives a loud “kyick!” and a prolonged series of “keck” notes. Usually seen on or around tall dead trees both standing and fallen, either singly or in pairs.
Yellow-browed Tody-Flycatcher
Todirostrum chrysocrotaphum
Tiny, boldly colored flycatcher of lowland rainforest. Black and yellow with a boat-shaped bill. Found in the canopy of mature rainforest, often in upland areas; occasionally also found around forest edges, including sometimes around gardens and human dwellings. Listen for its song, a long, steady series of high metallic chips, given at a pace of slightly faster than one note per second.
Glossy Ibis
Plegadis falcinellus
Long, curved bill. Adults mostly dark with iridescent green and reddish tones. Very thin white border surrounding the dark facial skin. Dark eyes. Usually gregarious, it is found mainly in salty marshes and shallow wetlands. Unmistakable in most of its range, though American birds are best distinguished from White-faced Ibis by distribution and facial pattern.
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