Blood-colored woodpecker

The blood-colored woodpecker (Veniliornis sanguineus) is a species of bird in the family Picidae, the woodpeckers, piculets, and wrynecks. It is found only in the Guianan countries of Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, on the Atlantic shoreline region in a narrow coastal strip, 140–180 km wide. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, and heavily degraded former forest. It is a fairly common species with a restricted range, but the population seems stable and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".[1]

Blood-colored woodpecker
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Genus: Veniliornis
Species:
V. sanguineus
Binomial name
Veniliornis sanguineus
(Lichtenstein, 1793)

Description

The blood-colored woodpecker is a distinctively-coloured small woodpecker with a length of 13 to 14 cm (5.1 to 5.5 in). The mantle, back and rump are crimson with some olive shading, and the upper sides of the wings are red apart from the main flight feathers which are brown. The face, sides of the neck, ear-coverts and throat are brown and the underparts and underwings are brown or grey, finely barred with white or buff. The tail is chocolate-brown. The male has a crimson crown and nape, streaked with brown, while the female has a brown or grey crown. The iris is chestnut, the beak pale grey and the legs grey. The juvenile resembles the adult but is rather browner.[2]

Distribution and habitat

The blood-colored woodpecker is endemic to the lowland coastal forests of northern South America. Its range includes Guyana and Surinam, and possibly French Guiana; its status in the latter is unclear as it hybridises with the little woodpecker (Veniliornis sanguineus) where their ranges overlap. It is typically found in swampy and riverine forests, coastal mangrove forests, wooded savannah, cacao and coffee plantations, parks and occasionally gardens.[2]

Ecology

This woodpecker forages alone or in pairs at all levels of the canopy, but especially at low levels in bushes and mangroves, feeding on ants, beetles and other small invertebrates.[2] The nesting hole is excavated within two metres of the ground by both male and female and may take two months to prepare.[3] Breeding occurs throughout the year and both parents are involved in rearing the young.[4]

References
  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Veniliornis sanguineus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22681208A92897361. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22681208A92897361.en.
  2. Gorman, Gerard (2014). Woodpeckers of the World: A Photographic Guide. Firefly Books. p. 308. ISBN 978-1770853096.
  3. Winkler, H.; Christie, D.A. "Blood-colored Woodpecker (Veniliornis callonotus)". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  4. "Blood-colored Woodpecker Veniliornis sanguineus". Neotropical Birds. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 8 June 2017.


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