Yellow-eared woodpecker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yellow-eared woodpecker |
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| A male yellow-eared woodpecker in Brazil. | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Piciformes |
| Family: | Picidae |
| Genus: | Veniliornis |
| Species: |
V. maculifrons
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| Binomial name | |
| Veniliornis maculifrons (Spix, 1824)
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| Synonyms | |
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Dryobates maculifrons |
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The yellow-eared woodpecker (Veniliornis maculifrons) is a type of bird from the woodpecker family. It lives only in eastern Brazil. This bird gets its name from the yellowish feathers near its ears.
Contents
About the Yellow-Eared Woodpecker
What's in a Name?
Scientists group living things into categories. This is called taxonomy. The yellow-eared woodpecker belongs to a group called Veniliornis. However, some scientists have moved all birds from Veniliornis into a different group called Dryobates. It's like different ways of organizing a big library!
How to Spot One
The yellow-eared woodpecker is about 15 centimeters (6 inches) long. Males and females look very similar, but their heads are a bit different.
- Males: Have a brown top of the head with white stripes. They also have some red tips on their feathers and a mostly red back of the head.
- Females: Have an olive-green top of the head with light spots. The feathers at the back of their head have golden tips.
Both male and female adults have an olive-brown face with whitish stripes. The back of their neck is a pale golden-yellow. Their upper body is mostly yellowish-green, sometimes with a bronze shine. They have yellowish spots and bars, especially on their lower back. Their wing feathers are dark brown with light yellow or white bars. Their tail is dark brown with lighter bars.
Their belly is off-white with thin olive bars. These bars are wider on their chest and sides. Their eyes are dark brown or reddish. Their long beak is blackish with a lighter base. Their legs are olive or gray. Young woodpeckers are not as bright as adults. They have more bars on their upper and lower bodies.
Where They Live
The yellow-eared woodpecker lives in eastern Brazil. You can find it between the states of Bahia and Rio de Janeiro. It lives in lowlands and hills of the Atlantic Forest. This includes both old, untouched forests and forests that have grown back. You might even see them in parks!
Yellow-Eared Woodpecker Behavior
Daily Life
Scientists believe the yellow-eared woodpecker stays in the same area all year round. It does not migrate to different places.
What They Eat
The yellow-eared woodpecker eats insect larvae. These are like baby insects. It has also been seen pecking at an avocado. We don't know much more about what else they eat or how they find their food.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
The breeding season for these woodpeckers seems to be from at least March to July. One nest was found high up in a tree, about 18 meters (59 feet) from the ground. Not much else is known about how they raise their young.
Their Call
The yellow-eared woodpecker makes a special sound. It's a high, nose-like, chattering rattle. The sound goes up, then slightly down. It usually lasts about five to seven seconds.
Conservation Status
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has listed the yellow-eared woodpecker as a species of "Least Concern." This means they are not currently in danger of disappearing. Even though they live in a somewhat small area, their numbers seem to be stable. There are no immediate threats known for this bird. It's not a very well-known species, so scientists think it would be good to study and keep an eye on their population in Brazil's unique forests.
 | Aaron Henry |
 | T. R. M. Howard |
 | Jesse Jackson |
