- Golden-olive Woodpecker
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Golden-olive Woodpecker 
Male Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Piciformes Family: Picidae Genus: Colaptes Species: C. rubiginosus Binomial name Colaptes rubiginosus
(Swainson, 1820)[verification needed]Synonyms - Piculus rubiginosus (Swainson, 1820)[verification needed]
- Piculus aeruginosus
The Golden-olive Woodpecker, Colaptes rubiginosus, is a resident breeding bird from Mexico south and east to Guyana, northwest Argentina, Trinidad and Tobago. It was formerly placed in the genus Piculus (Benz et al., 2006). The scientific name rubiginosus means "full of rust", describing the color of the bird's wings and back.
Contents
Habitat
The habitat of this woodpecker is forests, more open woodland, and cultivation. It is most common in the mountains. Two or three white eggs are laid in a nest hole in a tree and incubated by both sexes. The young are fed by regurgitation.
Description
The Golden-olive Woodpecker is 22 cm long and weighs 68g. Adults are mainly golden olive above with some barring on the tail. The forecrown is grey, and the hindcrown red. The face is yellow-white and the underparts are barred black and yellowish. The bill is black. Adult males have a red moustachial strip which is lacking in the female.
Due to its habitat - mainly montane forest, separated by large rivers - it has evolved into about 20 subspecies. P. r. tobagensis from Tobago is larger and heavier-billed than the Trinidadian P. r. trinitatis. Some of the South American races have only very narrow yellow barring on the underparts, and Andean birds show a pale eyering.
Golden-olive Woodpeckers mainly eat insects, including ants and beetle larvae, with some fruit and berries. The call of this bird is a loud wheep.
References
- Benz, Brett W.; Robbins, Mark B. & Peterson, A. Townsend (2006): Evolutionary history of woodpeckers and allies (Aves: Picidae): Placing key taxa on the phylogenetic tree. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40: 389–399. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.02.021
- BirdLife International (2004). Piculus rubiginosus. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- ffrench, Richard; O'Neill, John Patton & Eckelberry, Don R. (2003): A guide to the birds of Trinidad and Tobago. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 0-7136-6759-1
- Hilty, Steven L. (2003): Birds of Venezuela. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 0-7136-6418-5
External links
- Golden-olive Woodpecker videos – on the Internet Bird Collection
- Stamps (for El Salvador, Nicaragua, Trinidad and Tobago)
- Golden-olive Woodpecker photo gallery VIREO
- Photo-High Res--(Female); Article antpitta.com – "Picidae: Photo Gallery"
Categories:- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Colaptes
- Birds of Central America
- Birds of the Yucatán Peninsula region
- Birds of Mexico
- Native birds of Eastern Mexico
- Native birds of Southern Mexico
- Birds of El Salvador
- Birds of Nicaragua
- Birds of Belize
- Birds of Guatemala
- Birds of Honduras
- Birds of Costa Rica
- Birds of Panama
- Birds of South America
- Birds of the Guianas
- Birds of Guyana
- Birds of Suriname
- Birds of French Guiana
- Birds of Venezuela
- Birds of Colombia
- Birds of Ecuador
- Birds of Peru
- Birds of Bolivia
- Birds of Argentina
- Birds of Trinidad and Tobago
- Woodpeckers
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