The cream-colored woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in most mainland South American countries except Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Region
Amazon Basin and the Guianas
Typical Environment
Occupies humid lowland forests across northern South America, including Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and the Guianas. It favors mature terra firme, seasonally flooded várzea and igapó forests, and mangrove or gallery forests near rivers. Most activity is in the midstory to upper canopy, where it forages on trunks, vines, and large branches. It tolerates semi-open edges and secondary growth if large trees remain, but is most abundant in intact lowland rainforest.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
One of the palest woodpeckers, it is mostly creamy-buff with a rufous crest, making it distinctive in the canopy. It specializes in raiding arboreal ant and termite nests, often prying into soft, decayed wood and carton nests. Males show a small red malar streak that females lack. Its drumming is relatively soft and infrequent compared to many other woodpeckers.
Temperament
secretive and methodical
Flight Pattern
undulating with short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly, in pairs, or small family groups, often keeping to the mid-to-upper canopy. Pairs excavate nest cavities in soft or decayed trunks or large limbs. Both sexes share incubation and chick-rearing duties. Territories are maintained with soft drumming and calls rather than aggressive displays.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are soft, including mellow whistles and short, nasal notes; calls may be given in series while foraging. Drumming is brief and subdued, used more for contact than long-distance display.
