The cream-backed woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Region
South-central South America
Typical Environment
Occurs across the Gran Chaco and adjacent woodlands of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It favors dry to semi-humid deciduous and xeric woodlands, gallery forests along rivers, and savanna-like areas with scattered large trees. Frequently uses dead snags, fallen logs, and old riparian trees for foraging and nesting. It tolerates lightly modified landscapes with remnant trees but is scarcer in intensely cleared farmland.
Altitude Range
0–1500 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This large woodpecker is a powerful excavator that specializes in prying off bark to reach wood-boring beetle larvae. Like other Campephilus woodpeckers, it gives a characteristic loud double-rap on resonant trunks. It is an important controller of forest insect pests and relies on mature trees and dead snags for foraging and nesting. Pairs maintain year-round territories and often communicate with far-carrying calls and drumming.
Temperament
pair-bonded and territorial
Flight Pattern
undulating flight with strong, direct bursts between trees
Social Behavior
Usually seen in pairs or small family groups, maintaining territories year-round. Both sexes excavate nest cavities high in large trunks or dead snags. The clutch is small, and both parents incubate and feed the young. Outside the breeding season, family groups may forage together while remaining within their territory.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are loud, nasal yelps and raucous kek notes that carry far through open woodland. Drumming includes a powerful, resonant double-rap typical of Campephilus woodpeckers, used for advertisement and contact.
