Stripe-cheeked woodpecker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stripe-cheeked woodpecker
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Piciformes
Family:	Picidae
Genus:	Piculus
Species:	P. callopterus
Binomial name
Piculus callopterus (Lawrence, 1862)
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The stripe-cheeked woodpecker (Piculus callopterus) is a type of bird from the woodpecker family. It lives only in Panama. This bird is known for its unique markings, especially on its cheeks.

About This Woodpecker

Scientists group animals together to understand them better. The stripe-cheeked woodpecker was first named Chloronerpes callopterus. Later, it was placed in the Piculus group. For a while, some scientists thought it might be the same as other woodpeckers, like the rufous-winged woodpecker or the white-throated woodpecker. These four woodpeckers might be very closely related. The stripe-cheeked woodpecker is the only one of its kind in its specific group.

What It Looks Like

The stripe-cheeked woodpecker is about 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) long. Both male and female birds have similar colors, but their heads are a bit different.

• Males have red feathers from their forehead to the back of their neck. They also have a lot of red on their cheeks, with a creamy white stripe just above it. The rest of their face is olive green.
• Females have red only on the back of their head to the back of their neck. Their faces are like the males'.

Both male and female adults have shiny bronze-green feathers on their backs. Their wing feathers are mostly reddish-brown with dark brown stripes. Their tail is blackish, with some reddish-brown on the outer feathers.

Their throat and upper chest are greenish olive, with yellow spots on the chest. The rest of their belly and underside are creamy white with greenish olive stripes. They have a short, blackish beak with a lighter lower part. Their eyes are sky-blue to light gray, and their legs are olive-gray.

Young woodpeckers are not as bright as adults. Their throat and chest look patchy, and the stripes on their belly are not even. Young males only have red on the back of their head.

Where It Lives

The stripe-cheeked woodpecker lives in Panama. You can find it from west-central Panama (in Veraguas Province) all the way to the eastern part (in Darién Province). It mostly lives on the side of Panama that faces the Caribbean Sea.

This woodpecker likes to live inside and at the edges of humid forests. It prefers places that are between 300 and 900 meters (about 980 to 2,950 feet) above sea level.

Behavior

Movement

The stripe-cheeked woodpecker stays in the same area all year round. It does not migrate to other places.

Feeding Habits

This woodpecker usually looks for food by itself or with a partner. It also sometimes joins groups of different bird species that are feeding together. It searches for food in the lower and middle parts of the forest. It mostly finds its food by pecking into tree bark. We don't know all the details of its diet, but it does eat ants.

Reproduction

We don't know everything about when the stripe-cheeked woodpecker breeds, but we know it happens in April and May. The few nests found have been in dead trees. These nests were usually between 3.4 and 6 meters (about 11 to 20 feet) above the ground. Scientists still need to learn how many eggs they lay, how long the eggs take to hatch, when the young birds leave the nest, and how the parents care for their babies.

Sounds It Makes

The main call of the stripe-cheeked woodpecker is a "nasal bi-syllabic note 'nyeeeh-wheet'". Both male and female birds make this sound, either alone or in a quick series. They also make other sounds, like scolding noises and a fast, chattering series of short, nasal notes, especially when they are excited.

Conservation Status

The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has listed the stripe-cheeked woodpecker as a species of "Least Concern". This means that even though it lives in a small area and its population of at least 20,000 adult birds is thought to be shrinking, it's not yet considered threatened. There are no immediate dangers that scientists have found. This bird is not very well known and is thought to be uncommon in its habitat.