Little Woodpecker (Dryobates passerinus)

Identification & Behavior: ~17 cm (6.6 in). The Little Woodpecker has olive-brown upperparts. The underparts are paler olive barred with whitish. The male has a red crown and nape. The female lacks red in the head.  Both sexes show a pale malar streaks and supercilium, perhaps more prominent in females. It is similar to Red-stained Woodpecker but is distinguished by lacking the red stains of the wing, being restricted to forest edges and second growth, and by having a pale malar streak and superciliary line.

Status: The Little Woodpecker is fairly common in openings and second growth forest and it is known to range up to 1000 m along the foothill of the Andes. It is often found in pairs and does not venture into dense mature forests. It also occurs in Co, Ec, Br, and Bo.

Name in Spanish: Carpintero Chico.

Sub-species: Little Woodpecker (Veniliornis passerinus agilis), Cabanis and Heine, 1863.

Meaning of Name: Veniliornis: Related to gender Venilia (Bonaparte, 1850) and ornis= bird. affinis: L. affinae, affine, affinis= similar, related.

See more of the Family Picidae