Cream Colored Woodpecker

Cream-colored Woodpecker

    The cream-colored woodpecker is a distinct yellow woodpecker of lowland Amazonia. The overall plumage is a bright, creamy yellow. The wings and tail are also brown. It has a short , creamy colored crest, and the bull is also yellow. Males have a distinct red stripe underneath of their eyes. These small woodpeckers reach up to about 22-26 cm in height  and weigh only 95-130 g. 

The cream colored woodpecker is native to South America. They are found in humid forest landscapes. These landscapes are often near water, Including rainforests, swamp forests and cocoa plantations.They are found throughout lowland Venezuela, eastward through the Guyanas and south through much of Amazonia. This also includes Ecuador, Columbia, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. They are usually found in low range but will go  up to 700 meters in elevation. 

Cream-colored woodpeckers are diurnal, or active during the day and keep themselves very busy. They spend their days foraging for food in the lower to the middle parts of the trees and in the canopy. Some will forage singly, but most often will forage in groups of 3 or 4. These birds are also talented vocalists. They are known to make a high pitched laugh, but aren’t known to be very social birds . When it is time to come home, the woodpeckers nest in tree cavities. Cream-colored woodpeckers excavate their own homes for themselves and their eggs.

The cream-colored woodpeckers, like most, engage in seasonal monogamy. The males will attract the females by tapping on the trees.Then, the pair will work together to start excavating. The females will lay a clutch of 4-5 white eggs. Both parents will help incubating the eggs , and continue the excavation process. One hatched, the young will leave the nest around 26 days to start forging for food on its own.

The primary diet of a cream-colored woodpecker consists of ants and termites. The woodpecker will singly take turns breaking into their  arboreal nests to access them. Fruits and seeds are also another significant part of their diets.

The cream-colored woodpeckers and its predators are not well documented.The species are considered “least concerned”, meaning there are no immediate threats to the birds, but could include hawks, owls, and snakes while occasionally forging on the forest floors.