The white-wedged piculet is a species of bird in subfamily Picumninae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay.
Region
South-central South America
Typical Environment
Occurs in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay, favoring semi-open woodlands, gallery forests, dry deciduous forest, and wooded savannas. It is common in the Cerrado, Pantanal, Chiquitano, and parts of the Gran Chaco, especially along edges and second growth. Typically uses the lower to mid-levels of the canopy and dense tangles where it gleans tiny prey from twigs and bark. It adapts well to lightly disturbed habitats and riparian corridors.
Altitude Range
0–1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A tiny woodpecker relative, the white-wedged piculet often forages on thin branches and vine tangles where larger woodpeckers rarely go. It frequently joins mixed-species flocks and is more often detected by its high, thin calls than by drumming. Males usually show a small reddish crown patch. The 'white-wedged' name refers to the conspicuous white wedges on the sides of the tail.
Illustration of male, d'Orbigny 1847
Temperament
quiet, unobtrusive, and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief undulations
Social Behavior
Usually found singly, in pairs, or family groups, and often associates with mixed-species flocks. Pairs maintain small territories and communicate with high, thin calls. Nests are excavated in soft, decayed wood or slender trunks; both sexes share incubation and chick rearing.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Voice is a thin, high, seee or tsee series and soft trills given from cover. Drumming is weak or infrequent compared to larger woodpeckers. Calls carry surprisingly well in quiet woodlands.
Plumage
Upperparts brown to olive-brown with fine pale spots and barring; underparts buff to whitish with dense white scaling or speckling giving a scaly look. Tail blackish with striking white wedges on the sides. Crown finely spotted, with males showing a small reddish forecrown patch.
Diet
Primarily takes tiny arthropods, including ants, termites, beetle larvae, and other small insects gleaned from bark, dead twigs, and lianas. It probes crevices delicately and pecks softly rather than excavating deeply. Occasionally sally-gleans for small prey and may take minute fruits or seeds opportunistically.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in lower and mid-levels of forest edges, riparian thickets, second growth, and semi-open woodland. Often concentrates on slender branches, vine tangles, and dead twigs that harbor small insects.
