Birds of the World – Pale-billed Woodpecker | Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus

Pale-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus guatemalensis) WikiC

The LabofOrnithology produced a great video about the Pale-billed Woodpecker down in Costa Rica. They used a unique wooden “double-knocker” as their most valuable device. Watch the video to see how they talked to the Woodpecker.

The Pale-billed Woodpecker is in the Campephilus genus of the Picidae – Woodpecker Family. Woodpeckers are one of 9 families in the Piciformes Order.

The Pale-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus guatemalensis) is a very large woodpecker which is a resident breeding bird from northern Mexico to western Panama.

The habitat of this species is wet forests and adjacent second growth or semi-open woodland. Two white eggs are laid in an unlined nest hole 3–30 m high in a tree and incubated by both sexes. The young hatch naked and are fed by both parents.

Lineated Woodpecker (Dryocopus lineatus) by Michael Woodruff

The Pale-billed Woodpecker is 14.5 in (37 cm) long and weighs 1.8 oz (255 g). It resembles the Lineated Woodpecker, but is larger and more robust.

The adult is mainly black above with a pale bill, bushy crest, and white lines down the shoulders which almost meet in a V on its back. The throat is black and the rest of the underparts are white, heavily barred with black. The male has a red head and crest; the female is similar, but the crest and throat are black. The female can be distinguished from Lineated Woodpecker by the absence of a white facial stripe.

This bird has a diagnostice drumming with two quick powerful taps. Its call include nasal rattles and a keeu keeu keeu keeu breeding call.

Pale-billed Woodpeckers chip out holes, often quite large, while searching out insects in trees. They mainly eat beetle larvae, with some berries, lizards, or other fruit.

This bird has been adversely affected by deforestation in parts of its range.

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth. (Psalms 96:11-13 KJV)

All the Woodpeckers in the Campephilus genus:

Wordless Birds

(Sources – Internet Birding Collection, and Wikipedia)

Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus

Birdwatching from a Christian Perspective

Birds of the World – Pale-billed Woodpecker

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