Birds of Venezuela

○ ← PICIFORMES: Picidae (Woodpeckers) →

Genus: Picumnus (6 species, 25 worldwide)

Piculets (genus Picumnus) are small sparrow-sized woodpeckers. Males generally have red or yellow spots on the head.


Chestnut Piculet (Picumnus cinnamomeus cinnamomeus) Los Flamencos Wildlife Sanctuary, Camarones, La Guajira, Colombia
Photograph by Tom Friedel © All Rights Reserved.

Found in arid forest and desert scrub.


Golden-spangled Piculet (Picumnus exilis) Male Inírida, Guainía, Colombia
Photograph by Tom Friedel © All Rights Reserved.


Golden-spangled Piculet (Picumnus exilis) Female Inírida, Guainía, Colombia
Photograph by Tom Friedel © All Rights Reserved.

Note golden dots on the back.


Olivaceous Piculet (Picumnus olivaceus) Male Manantiales del Campo, Antioquia, Colombia
Photograph by Tom Friedel © All Rights Reserved.

Note streaking in front.
A greyish individual, but streaking on front and range indicates Olivaceous and not Greyish.
Female with a mouth full of maggots.


Orinoco Piculet (Picumnus pumilus) Male Mitu, Vaupes, Colombia
Photograph by Tropical Birding (Nick Athanas) © All Rights Reserved.

Similar to Golden-spangled Piculet, but without any spots on back.


White-bellied Piculet (Picumnus spilogaster orinocensis) Vulnerable Los Güires, Delta Amacuro state, Venezuela
Photograph by Tropical Birding (Nick Athanas) © All Rights Reserved.


Scaled Piculet (Picumnus squamulatus) Minca, Magdalena, Colombia
Photograph by Tom Friedel © All Rights Reserved.


Scaled Piculet (Picumnus squamulatus obsoletus) Tucupita, Venezuela A different and confusing subspecies.
Photograph by David Ascanio - www.abtbirds.com © All Rights Reserved.

© Tom Friedel - All Rights Reserved, except for images and data otherwise noted.       Colombia       Panama       Ecuador       Costa Rica       Mexico
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