The white-bellied piculet is a Vulnerable species of bird in subfamily Picumninae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela.
Region
Guiana Shield
Typical Environment
Occurs patchily across northern Brazil, Guyana, and southern Venezuela, mainly within the Guiana Shield lowlands. It favors riverine woodlands, forest edges, secondary growth, and scrubby thickets with scattered trees. The species often uses vine tangles, bamboo-like stems, and dead twiggy growth for foraging and nesting. It avoids extensive closed-canopy interior forest and very open savanna away from cover.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A tiny woodpecker of the piculet subfamily, it forages quietly on thin twigs and vine tangles rather than hammering large trunks. Unlike larger woodpeckers, it rarely drums and often gives very high, insect-like calls that can be hard to locate. It frequently nests in soft, pithy stems or dead wood, which both adults excavate. Habitat loss in the Guiana Shield lowlands has contributed to its Vulnerable status.
Temperament
unobtrusive and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually found singly, in pairs, or small family groups and occasionally joins mixed-species flocks in edge habitats. Both sexes excavate a small cavity in soft wood or pithy stems for nesting. Clutch size is small, and both parents share incubation and care.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives very high, thin tsi or see notes in quick series, sometimes forming a short, insect-like trill. Drumming is weak or absent; soft tapping may be heard at close range during foraging or cavity work.
