From Opus

Picoides lignarius

Photo by Rodrigo Reyes
Photo taken: Patagonia, Chile.

[edit] Identification

18cm. Male: Black forehead and crown, front nape red and rear black, sides of face white with blackish band crossing the eyes, mantle with black and white bars, wings and wing coverts black with white spots, under wing coverts white, chest, belly and under tail coverts with yellowish tint and blackish little bars. Female: without red nape.

[edit] Distribution

Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.

[edit] Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species. Recent results will place this species in genus Veniliornis instead of the traditional placement in Picoides.

[edit] Habitat

Scattered trees on field, sidehills, orchards and plantations in the highlands.

[edit] Behaviour

It drills a hole with its bill in trunk or wide branch for its nest and fills the inner bed with the drilled sawdust. 3 or 4 brilliant white eggs are laid.

The diet includes worms, larvas and insects found on trunks.

[edit] References

1. Clements, James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019
2. Paper describing DNA based phylogeny of among others, this species
3. SACC proposal to move this species

• List of references

[edit] External Links