White-barred Piculet, Brazil

By Charlie • May 29, 2009 • 6 comments

The White-barred Piculet Picumnus cirratus is a truly tiny woodpecker, only about 10 cms (4 inches) in size - North America’s smallest woodpecker, the Downy Picoides pubescens, is a comparative giant at around 16 - 18 cm (6.5 - 7 inches). It’s found in three disjunct areas of South America: the Guianas; around the mouth of the Amazon; and in south-eastern Brazil south and west to the Pantanal, and into south-eastern Bolivia, Paraguay and northern Argentina.

Like many species of woodpecker the White-barred Piculet is found in a wide variety of wooded habitats, from gallery forest, degraded and secondary forest, to tall bushes in savannah and forest edges. This bird, a male (again as in many woodpecker species females lack the male’s conspicuous red patch), was photographed in Biritba-Mirim near Sao Paulo in April 2009, foraging actively in trees and shrubs along the edge of the marsh. It feeds on small insects (adults as well and their larvae and eggs) and is also reported to feed on sap from the holes that it excavates in branches and twigs.

white-barred piculet Picumnus cirratus

All photographs copyright Charlie Moores

Tags: brazil, features, woodpeckers

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About the Author

Charlie

Charlie works for an airline and has birded all over the world for twenty years. He wants to be a writer, and thinks no-one would believe his life could be so charmed if he didn't take photos of as many of the birds he sees as possible. Blogging with 10,000 Birds fits his aims, needs, and insecurities perfectly. Really - do birders get much more fortunate than this?

6 Responses to “White-barred Piculet, Brazil”

Nick May 29th, 2009 at 11:32 am

OMG I love Piculets!!! More, please!
April Lorier May 29th, 2009 at 2:31 pm

Great pics, Charlie! Yes, they’re adorable to look at, but ANY woodpecker (like the one on my roof top) are annoying when you’re trying to sleep! Ha! Any suggestions on how to make my woodpecker go somewhere else at night?
Brenton Head May 30th, 2009 at 5:31 am

Charlie, can one be in love with a bird? I think this species may be it for me!!!!!!
Corey May 30th, 2009 at 11:05 am

@April Lorier: Remove your roof?
charlie May 31st, 2009 at 6:48 am

Brenton: Oh, I think you can, in fact I think you can be seriously in love with nature and everything about it. I know I suffer daily from my total devotion…:)
charlie May 31st, 2009 at 6:49 am

Hi April: They bother you at night? Are you sure that it’s a woodpecker - I’ve never heard of one being active at night (which may well induce a flood of mails from readers with nocturnal woodpeckers which would be very interesting indeed )

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