The green-barred woodpecker or green-barred flicker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Region
Southern South America
Typical Environment
Occurs widely from eastern Bolivia and southern Brazil through Paraguay and Uruguay into northern and central Argentina. It favors open woodlands, savannas, Chaco scrub, forest edges, pastures, and parklands, and readily uses lightly human-modified landscapes. The species is most often seen in areas with scattered trees and abundant ant or termite activity. It can occupy riparian gallery forests and dry scrub mosaics, and sometimes visits gardens and urban green spaces.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2000 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the green-barred flicker, this woodpecker is unusual among its family for frequently foraging on the ground, where it targets ants and termites. It nests in cavities that it excavates in trees or wooden posts, with both sexes sharing excavation, incubation, and chick-rearing duties. In flight it shows a conspicuous white rump, a classic flicker feature. Males and females differ in the color of the malar (mustache) stripe.
Temperament
usually in pairs or small family groups; moderately wary but adaptable
Flight Pattern
undulating flight with bursts of stiff wingbeats and short glides; strong, direct when crossing open areas
Social Behavior
Typically seen in pairs or small family groups outside the breeding season. During breeding, pairs defend a territory and excavate a cavity nest in a tree or wooden structure. Both sexes incubate the clutch and feed the young. Post-breeding family parties may forage together.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations include a sharp, rolling series of kik or klee notes that can build into a laughing rattle. It also gives piercing contact calls while foraging and will drum on resonant surfaces, though drumming is less prominent than in many forest woodpeckers.
Plumage
Olive-green upperparts with bold black barring and a contrasting white rump; underparts yellowish to buff with strong black barring. Head grayish to olive with a dark mask and contrasting throat area. Tail dark with barred outer feathers; flight feathers show barring and pale panels in flight.
Diet
Feeds primarily on ants and termites, including adults, larvae, and pupae. It also takes other ground-dwelling insects and their larvae, and occasionally supplements its diet with fruits and seeds. Foraging often involves probing into soil, ant nests, or termite mounds and flicking aside leaf litter. The long, sticky tongue is used to extract prey from crevices.
Preferred Environment
Most commonly forages on the ground in open habitats with scattered trees, along forest edges, and in pastures. It also searches trunks, fallen logs, and fence posts, especially near insect colonies. Human-modified areas like parks and orchards can provide suitable feeding grounds.
