Green-barred Woodpecker

The Green-barred Woodpecker ranges widely across central and eastern South America, from woodland edges and gallery forest to savanna and scrub. Unlike the plain-backed flickers of open grassland, it shows a more richly colored, olive-green barred pattern above.

Its combination of green-and-black barring on the back with warm yellow, scalloped underparts makes it a distinctive member of the flicker group, and males add a bright red crown to the mix.

• Back and wings: olive-green ground crossed by black bars, more colorful than most flicker-genus relatives
• Underparts: yellowish with dark crescent-shaped markings
• Crown: red on males, duller on females
• Face: pale with a dark malar stripe on males
• Vs. Campo Flicker: Green-barred Woodpecker shows a distinctly green-toned back and yellower underparts, versus the paler buff-and-black barring and white face of Campo Flicker

Males have a red crown while females show a duller, often grayish or brown crown lacking red. Both sexes share the green-barred back and yellow, scalloped underparts. Juveniles are duller overall with looser markings. It undergoes one complete annual molt.

Found in woodland edges, gallery forest, savanna, and scrub across a broad swath of central and eastern South America, including Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, and northern Argentina. It is a non-migratory resident throughout its range.

Forages both on tree trunks and on the ground for ants and other insects, more arboreal in habit than some open-country flicker relatives. It excavates nest cavities in dead or living trees. Its calls include loud, ringing notes and rhythmic drumming used in territorial display.