Dot-fronted woodpecker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dot-fronted woodpecker
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Piciformes
Family:	Picidae
Genus:	Veniliornis
Species:	V. frontalis
Binomial name
Veniliornis frontalis (Cabanis, 1883)
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Synonyms
Dryobates frontalis

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The dot-fronted woodpecker is a cool bird from the woodpecker family. Its scientific name is Veniliornis frontalis. You can find this special bird in Argentina and Bolivia. It's known for the unique spots on its forehead.

Meet the Dot-Fronted Woodpecker

What's in a Name?

Scientists like to group animals together. This helps them study and understand different species. The dot-fronted woodpecker is usually placed in a group called Veniliornis. But some scientists have moved it to a different group called Dryobates. It's like having two different ways to organize your favorite books! This woodpecker is also "monotypic," which means it's the only species in its specific group.

What Does It Look Like?

The dot-fronted woodpecker is about 16 cm (6.3 in) long. That's about the size of a small ruler! It weighs between 30 to 40 g (1.1 to 1.4 oz).

Males and females look very similar. The main difference is on their heads.

• Males have an olive-brown forehead with many white spots. Their crown (the top of their head) and the back of their neck are red.
• Females have an olive-brown head all over, also with white spots.

Both sexes have an olive-brown face. They have a thin white line above their eye, like an eyebrow. They also have a thin white "moustache" stripe. Their bodies are mostly yellowish-olive with golden feather tips. Their tail is dark brown with a yellow tint. Their belly is olive-gray with thin white stripes. They have dark brown eyes and a black beak. Their legs are dark gray.

Young woodpeckers are duller and grayer than adults. Both young males and females have some red on their heads. Young males have more red than young females.

Where Does It Live?

This woodpecker lives on the eastern side of the Andes Mountains. You can find it from the Cochabamba and Santa Cruz areas in Bolivia down to Tucumán in Argentina. It likes to live in dry mountain forests. It also lives in humid forests and places where these two types of forests meet. It can live as high as 2,000 m (6,600 ft) up in the mountains. But it usually stays at lower elevations.

Woodpecker Life: Habits and Sounds

How It Moves Around

The dot-fronted woodpecker sometimes moves to lower areas. This usually happens when it's not breeding season.

What Does It Eat?

This woodpecker usually looks for food near the ground. It searches on tree trunks and small branches. Scientists don't know exactly what it eats yet.

Family Life

Scientists are still learning about the dot-fronted woodpecker's breeding season. It seems to happen between September and November. Only one nest has ever been found. It was in a dead tree, about 8 m (25 ft) above the ground. We still have a lot to learn about how these birds raise their families!

What Sounds Does It Make?

The dot-fronted woodpecker makes a series of calls. It sounds like "juíc!" or "jíc!" about 8 to 10 times in a row. It can also make a rougher sound, like "wík!".

Protecting the Dot-Fronted Woodpecker

The IUCN (a group that studies nature) says the dot-fronted woodpecker is a species of "Least Concern." This means it's not currently in danger of disappearing. However, it lives in a somewhat small area. We don't know exactly how many of these birds there are. Their numbers are thought to be going down.

No big threats have been found for this woodpecker yet. It lives in at least two national parks. But it's generally considered to be quite rare. Scientists say we need to do more research on this bird. We need to learn more about its life and how it reproduces. This will help us protect it for the future!