Lineated Woodpecker

The Lineated Woodpecker is a large, conspicuous woodpecker found across a huge swath of the Neotropics, from Mexico south through Central America and much of South America to northern Argentina. Its combination of a tall red crest and bold white neck stripes makes it one of the more easily recognized large woodpeckers in its range, though it is often confused with the similar Campephilus woodpeckers that share its habitat.

Unlike some of its forest-interior relatives, the Lineated Woodpecker tolerates disturbed and secondary habitats well, making it one of the more frequently encountered large woodpeckers across its range.

Key features:

• Overall black body feathers with a bold white stripe running from the base of the bill down the side of the neck, continuing onto the back where the two stripes form a narrow V
• Flanks show white barring rather than solid black
• Crest feathers are elongated, pointed, and red in both sexes
• Males additionally show a red malar stripe and red reaching the base of the bill on the forecrown; females have a black forehead and forecrown

Compared to similar species: Pale-billed and Crimson-crested Woodpeckers (genus Campephilus) have fully red heads in males and lack the sharply defined double white neck stripe that meets in a V on the back, which is diagnostic for the Lineated Woodpecker.

Both sexes show a shaggy red crest, but males have red extending onto the forehead and a red malar (mustache) stripe, while females have a black forehead and black malar area. Juveniles are duller and sootier overall, with a less crisply defined white neck stripe. The species undergoes a complete annual molt following the breeding season.

This species is a habitat generalist, found in forest edge, open woodland, secondary growth, plantations, and semi-open country from Mexico through Central America and across much of South America to Argentina. Unlike some of the more deep-forest Neotropical woodpeckers, it readily uses disturbed and human-modified landscapes. It is non-migratory throughout its extensive range.

Lineated Woodpeckers forage at all heights on trunks and branches, feeding mainly on ants, beetle larvae, and other wood-boring insects, and will also visit fruiting trees occasionally. Their calls are loud, sharp "kick" or "kyeek" notes, and pairs frequently drum on resonant dead wood to advertise territory. Nest cavities are excavated in dead trees or dead limbs of living trees, often reused or expanded in subsequent years. Pairs maintain contact with frequent vocal exchanges while foraging in loosely associated territories.