Pale-crested Woodpecker - BirdForum Opus

Male, subspecies kerri
Photo by Gill Merritt
Pantanal, Brazil, July 2005

Celeus lugubris

Identification

23–24 cm (9-9½)
Male

• Brown lores
• Red malar and cheek

Similar Species

Resembles the parapatric Blond-crested Woodpecker, but has brown underparts and uppertail coverts, and wings barred in rufous (lower part) and pale buff (upper part).

Distribution

Female, subspecies lugubris
Photo by holzphoto
Pantanal, Brazil

South America: it is found in northern Argentina, eastern Bolivia, south-central Brazil (the Pantanal region), and Paraguay.

It is generally fairly common.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are 2 subspecies^[1]:

• C. l. lugubris:

• Dry lowlands of eastern Bolivia and south-western Brazil (western Mato Grosso)

• C. l. kerri: their plumage is darker

• Paraguay and southern Mato Grosso to north-eastern Argentina

Habitat

It occurs in dry to semi-humid forests, woodland and palm grooves.

Behaviour

Diet

Their diet consists mostly of ants.

Movements

A resident species.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved November 2015)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Pale-crested Woodpecker. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Pale-crested_Woodpecker

External Links

Search for photos of Pale-crested Woodpecker in the gallery