The yellow-throated woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.
Region
Amazon Basin and the Guianas
Typical Environment
Occurs from the Guianas and northeastern Venezuela south through the Amazon of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, and widely in northern and central Brazil. It favors humid terra firme and várzea forests, tall secondary growth, and forest edges, most often within large tracts of continuous canopy. Birds typically use midstory to canopy levels but may descend to lower trunks at edges and along rivers. It tolerates some disturbance where large trees remain and will forage along forested waterways.
Altitude Range
0–1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The yellow-throated woodpecker inhabits humid lowland forests across much of the Amazon and the Guianas and is often seen foraging quietly at mid to upper levels. It frequently joins mixed-species flocks, which helps it find insect prey while reducing predation risk. Its soft whistled calls and light drumming are more often heard than seen in dense foliage.
Temperament
quiet and unobtrusive
Flight Pattern
undulating with short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs and commonly associates with mixed-species flocks in the canopy. Pairs maintain small territories and nest in cavities they excavate in dead or decaying trunks or large limbs. Breeding is presumed monogamous, with both sexes participating in excavation and care.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are soft, whistled notes given in short series, often descending in pitch. Drumming is light and brief, used mainly in territorial or courtship contexts.
Plumage
Olive-green upperparts with a bright yellow throat and upper breast; underparts yellow to buff with faint olive barring. Face pale yellowish with contrasting darker lores; tail dark with lighter barring. Males show red on the crown and a red malar stripe, which females lack.
Diet
Feeds primarily on ants, termites, beetle larvae, and other wood-boring insects gleaned or probed from bark and deadwood. It occasionally takes small arthropods from epiphytes and vine tangles. Fruit may be eaten opportunistically but forms a minor part of the diet.
Preferred Environment
Forages on trunks and larger limbs in the midstory to canopy, especially in mature humid forest. Also works along forest edges, river margins, and tall secondary growth where large snags are present.
