The Choco woodpecker is a Near Threatened species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador.
Region
Chocó biogeographic region
Typical Environment
Occurs along the Pacific slope and adjacent foothills of western Colombia into northwestern Ecuador. It favors humid lowland and premontane forests, including forest edges, secondary growth, and tall riverine woodland. The species often uses thin to medium-diameter trunks and branches in the midstory. Fragmentation reduces its continuity of occurrence, but it can persist where some mature trees remain.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1400 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also known by the older genus name Veniliornis chocoensis, this small woodpecker is largely confined to the humid Chocó forests of western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. Habitat loss from logging and conversion to agriculture is the principal threat. Males typically show a red crown while females lack extensive red, aiding quick sexing in the field. It forages quietly compared to many woodpeckers, often working thin trunks and branches.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
undulating with short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, occasionally joining mixed-species flocks in the forest midstory. Nests in cavities it excavates in soft or decaying wood. Pairs defend small territories during the breeding season and communicate via soft calls and drumming. Parental care is shared, with both sexes attending the nest.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are soft, sharp pik or chik notes given intermittently. Drumming is short and subdued compared to larger woodpeckers, often a brief, even roll.
Plumage
Small, olive-brown to greenish upperparts with pale barring on the back and wings; underparts buffy to whitish with dusky streaking. Tail is dark with pale barring; overall patterning appears finely barred rather than boldly spotted.
Diet
Primarily feeds on insects, including ants, beetles, and their larvae, gleaned from bark and wood. Probes and pecks at thin branches and small trunks, occasionally scaling bark flakes. Will take wood-boring larvae from dead limbs and may supplement with small fruits when insects are scarce.
Preferred Environment
Forages in the midstory and lower canopy of humid forest, at edges, and in secondary growth with scattered mature trees. Often selects vine-laden branches, dead snags, and lightly decayed wood where prey is accessible.
