The powerful woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Region
Northern Andes
Typical Environment
Occurs in humid montane and cloud forests from western Venezuela through Colombia and Ecuador to northern Peru. It favors mature, tall forest with large-diameter trees and substantial dead wood for foraging and nesting. Birds are most often seen in the interior or along quiet edges and ridgelines. It tolerates some selective logging if large snags remain, but avoids heavily fragmented or degraded habitats.
Altitude Range
700–2500 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The powerful woodpecker is a large, striking Campephilus woodpecker of the Northern Andes. It is best detected by its loud double-knock drumming and bold white scapular stripes that form a V on the back in flight. This species is elusive and typically keeps to mature montane forests. Habitat loss is its main threat, though it persists across a broad elevational range.
Temperament
shy and wary
Flight Pattern
strong flier with bounding, undulating flight
Social Behavior
Usually seen in pairs or small family groups. Monogamous; both sexes excavate large nest cavities in dead or decaying trunks. Territorial drumming and double-knocks are used to advertise territories and maintain pair bonds.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations include sharp, ringing kik or kek notes and harsh calls given from high perches. Drumming is a powerful, resonant double-knock typical of Campephilus woodpeckers, often carrying far through the forest.
Plumage
Large, mostly black woodpecker with bold white scapular stripes forming a V across the upper back; underparts may show faint barring. Male has an extensive red crest and head; female has a darker head with a smaller crest and pale facial striping.
Diet
Feeds primarily on wood-boring beetle larvae, carpenter ants, and other insects obtained by hammering, chiseling, and prying bark from trunks and large limbs. Occasionally takes other arthropods from epiphytes and moss mats. Fruit may be eaten opportunistically but forms a minor part of the diet.
Preferred Environment
Forages on large, mature trees and snags in the mid to upper canopy of humid montane forest. Often works along ridgelines and steep slopes where big trunks are exposed.
