- Dryobates fumigatus
Identification
A small (18cm, 7in.) woodpecker with no barring or conspicuous marks; best identification is overall dark, drab, brown plumage. Male has dark red crown, lacking in female.
Distribution
Numerous and widespread in foothills and subtropical forests in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
Taxonomy
Placed in genus Leuconotopicus by Gill and Donsker. Formerly included in genus Picoides
Subspecies
Five subspecies are recognized: fumigatus, oleagineus, sanguinolentus, obscuratus, and reichenbachi.
Habitat
Forested and woodland areas of foothills and mountains in parts of the range reaching near sea level in Mexico.
Behaviour
Forages on branches, rather than trunks, tapping and probing methodically in live and dead wood for insects.
References
- 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
- Paper describing DNA taxonomy of among others this species
- SACC proposal to move this species to genus Picoides
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Smoky-brown Woodpecker. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 14 May 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Smoky-brown_Woodpecker
