The white-spotted woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Region
Southeast South America
Typical Environment
Occurs in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, primarily in the Atlantic Forest, gallery woodlands, Chaco edges, and wooded savannas. It readily uses secondary growth, riparian corridors, and scattered trees in farmland. The species also visits parks and gardens with mature trees. It is generally a lowland to foothill bird but can reach moderate elevations in southeastern Brazil.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This small woodpecker of southeastern South America often frequents forest edges, parks, and orchards as well as native woodland. Males typically show a red crown while females lack red, aiding quick field identification. Its steady drumming and sharp pik calls are characteristic in its range. By probing for wood-boring insects, it can help control tree pests in human-modified landscapes.
Temperament
alert and active
Flight Pattern
undulating with short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually forages singly or in pairs and may accompany mixed-species flocks in forest edges. Monogamous pairs excavate nest cavities in dead trunks or large branches. Both sexes share incubation and feeding of the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives sharp pik or tchik notes and short rattled series. Drumming is brief, even-paced bursts on resonant wood.
Plumage
Olive-brown to brown upperparts densely spotted and barred with white; underparts buffy to whitish with dusky barring. Face shows pale eyebrow and darker malar stripe. Tail dark with pale bars; wings show conspicuous white spotting.
Diet
Feeds mainly on arboreal ants, beetles, and their larvae, along with other small insects and spiders. Probes under bark, pecks at soft dead wood, and gleans from branches and vines. Occasionally takes small fruits when insect prey is scarce.
Preferred Environment
Forages on trunks, limbs, and larger branches in forest edges, secondary woods, and riparian strips. Also utilizes trees in rural areas, orchards, and urban parks where suitable snags or mature trees are present.
