The yellow-browed woodpecker, also known as the white-browed woodpecker, is a Near Threatened species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Region
Atlantic Forest of southeastern South America
Typical Environment
Occurs patchily in the Atlantic Forest biome from southeastern Brazil through eastern Paraguay to northeastern Argentina and into northern Uruguay. It uses mature humid evergreen and semideciduous forest, tall secondary growth, and well-wooded riparian corridors. The species favors interior and edge habitats with large trees suitable for foraging and nesting. It also persists in mosaic landscapes with forest fragments, plantations, and wooded farmlands when sufficient canopy cover remains.
Altitude Range
0–1500 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the white-browed woodpecker, this Near Threatened species inhabits the shrinking Atlantic Forest of southeastern South America. Its name refers to the pale yellowish supercilium that contrasts with its darker face. It is generally inconspicuous, foraging quietly on trunks and larger branches for ants and beetle larvae. Ongoing deforestation is the principal threat across its range in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Female at Serra do Mar State Park, São Paulo State, Brazil
Temperament
shy and unobtrusive
Flight Pattern
undulating woodpecker flight with short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, sometimes joining mixed-species flocks. Pairs maintain territories and communicate with soft calls and drumming. Nests are excavated in dead or decaying trunks or large branches; both sexes participate in cavity excavation and incubation.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations include sharp pik notes and thin, slightly nasal calls given singly or in short series. Drumming is a brief, even roll used in territorial and pair-bond contexts.
Plumage
Olive-green upperparts with a bronzy sheen; underparts buff to whitish with dark barring. Broad pale yellowish-white supercilium over a duskier mask. Male shows red crown and nape with a small red malar mark; female has a darker crown with little or no red. Tail is dark with paler barring; wings show olive coverts with darker flight feathers.
Diet
Feeds primarily on ants, termites, and beetle larvae gleaned or extracted from bark, deadwood, and epiphyte mats. Also takes other small arthropods when available. Occasionally consumes fruits or berries, especially in the non-breeding season.
Preferred Environment
Forages on trunks and larger branches from the midstory to lower canopy in humid forest. Uses edges and older secondary growth, and may forage along wooded streams and in forest fragments where large trees remain.
