The arrowhead piculet or Guianan piculet is a species of bird in subfamily Picumninae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Suriname and possibly French Guiana and Guyana.
Region
The Guianas
Typical Environment
Primarily inhabits lowland tropical forest mosaics, including edges of evergreen forest, secondary growth, riverine scrub, and white-sand (campinarana) woodlands. It favors tangles, vines, thin branches, and young stands where twig-dwelling insects are abundant. It can occur in semi-open habitats near forest margins and along waterways. The species is local and easily overlooked, often detected by its thin calls rather than by drumming.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 600 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the Guianan piculet, it is among the smallest woodpeckers in the world and is often overlooked due to its quiet habits and tiny size. It typically forages on thin twigs and dead vine stems, gleaning minute insects rather than heavy chiseling. Males usually show a small colored forecrown patch, a useful field mark at close range. Its confirmed range centers on Suriname, with possible occurrence in adjacent Guyana and French Guiana.
Temperament
inconspicuous and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with undulating woodpecker-style flight
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly, in pairs, or small family parties, and it may join mixed-species flocks in the subcanopy and edge. Nests are tiny cavities excavated in thin dead stems or soft wood, with both sexes participating. Clutch consists of glossy white eggs typical of woodpeckers.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are soft and high-pitched, including thin seee and tik calls, often given in quick series. Song may be a delicate, rapid trill or a short series of high notes. Drumming is weak or rare, more tapping than resonant drumming.
Plumage
Upperparts brownish to olive-brown with fine pale barring or speckling; underparts buffy to whitish with distinctive dark, arrowhead-shaped spots on the breast and flanks. Crown finely spotted; male shows a small yellow to orange forecrown patch, which females lack. Tail short with pale markings on the edges; overall appearance delicate with a very short, straight bill.
Diet
Feeds on minute arthropods such as ants, termites, beetle larvae, and small caterpillars. It gleans and pecks at lichened twigs, dead vines, and thin branches, probing crevices and bark scales. Foraging is precise and quiet, focusing on micro-prey rather than heavy excavation.
Preferred Environment
Forages in forest edge, secondary woodland, riverine thickets, and vine tangles where small-diameter substrates are abundant. Often works the subcanopy and midstory, occasionally descending to lower shrubs in open areas near forest margins.
