Ochre-collared piculet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ochre-collared piculet |
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Picumnus
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temminckii
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The ochre-collared piculet (Picumnus temminckii) is a small bird that belongs to the woodpecker family. It is found in parts of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. This bird gets its name from the special collar of feathers around its neck.
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About the Ochre-Collared Piculet
The ochre-collared piculet is a type of bird in the woodpecker family. Scientists are still learning about how this bird is related to others. It is very similar to the white-barred piculet and the ocellated piculet. Sometimes, these birds even mate with the white-barred piculet and the white-wedged piculet.
What Does It Look Like?
The ochre-collared piculet is a small bird, about 9 to 10 centimeters (3.5 to 4 inches) long. It weighs about 10 to 12.5 grams (0.35 to 0.44 ounces).
Adult male piculets have a black cap on their head. The feathers on their forehead have red tips. The rest of their cap has small white spots. Their face is mostly a rich buff-brown color, with a white stripe behind their eye.
Around their neck, they have a cinnamon-buff colored collar. This is where the "ochre-collared" part of their name comes from. Their upper body is brown, sometimes with very faint lighter stripes. Their flight feathers are dark brown with thin buff edges.
The tail of the piculet is blackish. The two feathers closest to the body are mostly white on the inside. The two outer pairs of tail feathers have a white patch near the end. Their chin and throat are pale whitish with thin blackish edges. Their belly is mostly whitish, with buff colors on the sides and lower belly.
Their eyes are brown, and the skin around their eyes is grayish. Their beak is black with a grayish base, and their legs are grayish.
Adult females look almost the same as males. The only difference is that females do not have any red on their forehead. Young piculets are duller and darker than adults. They also have more noticeable but less clear stripes on their underparts.
Where Do They Live?
The ochre-collared piculet lives in southeastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, and northeastern Argentina. They mostly live in lowland rainforests. These forests have bamboos, vines, and lots of tangled plants. You can also find them in areas where forests are growing back, in thick bushes, tall scrub, and even in parks and gardens. They live from sea level up to about 800 meters (2,600 feet) high.
Behavior and Life Cycle
Movement
The ochre-collared piculet stays in the same area all year round. It does not migrate to other places.
Feeding Habits
This bird looks for food on thin branches, usually low down in the forest. Scientists are still studying what they eat. However, it is known that their diet includes ants and insect larvae.
Reproduction
The breeding season for the ochre-collared piculet seems to be from October through December. One nest was found in São Paulo State, Brazil. It was a hole about 2.5 meters (8 feet) above the ground. A male piculet was seen taking care of the nest. Not much else is known about how these birds raise their young.
Vocalization
The ochre-collared piculet makes a high-pitched whistle sound, like "tsirrrr, si-si-si...". It also makes a dry, toneless trill sound, like "trrrrrruh".
Conservation Status
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has listed the ochre-collared piculet as a species of "Least Concern." This means that it is not currently in danger of disappearing. It lives across a very large area. However, we do not know the exact number of these birds or if their population is growing or shrinking. No immediate threats to the species have been found. It lives in several national parks and is considered common in many places.
See also
In Spanish: Picumnus temminckii para niños
