Blood-colored Woodpecker
Dryobates sanguineus
Small woodpecker of coastal forests, including mangroves, overgrown plantations, and urban areas. Unmistakable in its limited range. In all plumages note red back and heavy barring below. Often occurs in pairs. Climbs tree trunks and woody vines, boring into decaying wood for insect prey; may also forage in bromeliads and other arboreal plants. Can be noisy in aggressive interactions; gives various sharp calls similar to other small woodpeckers.
Identification
The blood-colored woodpecker is about 13 cm (5.1 in) long and weighs 23 to 30 g (0.81 to 1.1 oz). Males and females have the same plumage except on their heads. Adults of both sexes have a mostly brown face. Males are crimson-red from crown to nape with brown feather bases showing through. The female has a brown crown with thin white feather tips. Both sexes' upperparts are dark crimson-red with greenish-brown bases to the feathers. Their flight feathers are dark brown with greenish brown edges on the primaries and wide crimson edges on the secondaries and tertials. Their tail is dark brown. Their underparts are dark brownish with off-white bars throughout. The iris is dark red-brown, the longish beak dark gray with a lighter tip, and the legs are blackish. Juveniles are generally duller and browner than adults.
Taxonomy
The International Ornithological Committee and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World place the blood-colored woodpecker in genus Veniliornis. However, starting in 2018, the American Ornithological Society and the Clements taxonomy moved all species of genus Veniliornis into genus Dryobates.<p>The taxonomic systems agree that the blood-colored woodpecker is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Dryobates sanguineus
- Authority
- (Lichtenstein, AAH, 1793)
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Picidae
- Genus
- Dryobates
Range and habitat
Though some sources say that the blood-colored woodpecker is found in "the Guianas", the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society has records only in Guyana and Surinam, and not French Guiana. It is a bird of the coastal lowlands, where it inhabits mangroves, swamp forest, and sometimes coffee plantations.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The blood-colored woodpecker is a year-round resident throughout its range. <p>The blood-colored woodpecker forages in trees and shrubs, typically singly or in pairs. Its diet includes ants, beetles, and caterpillars.<p>The blood-colored woodpecker has been recorded breeding in Suriname in February, March, and between May and November. Both sexes excavate the nest hole, usually low to the ground in a stump or branch. Excavation may take up to two months. The clutch is usually one or two eggs and sometimes three. Both parents incubate the eggs and provision nestlings and fledglings. The incubation period and time to fledging are not known. <p>The blood-colored woodpecker's most common call is "single 'keek' notes". It also gives a "fast series of c. 16 'wih' notes". Both sexes drum.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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