Red-crowned Woodpecker

The Red-crowned Woodpecker is a common small woodpecker across northern South America, including Colombia, Venezuela, and nearby islands, found in open woodland, forest edge, and even urban parks and gardens. It shares the barred black-and-white back typical of many Melanerpes species.

Males are readily identified by a bright red crown extending from the forehead to the nape, while females show a more muted head pattern, making the sexes easy to distinguish at a glance.

• Back and wings: black-and-white barred, consistent with genus pattern
• Crown: bright red in males, extending from forehead to nape; females show a paler or grayish crown with a small orange-yellow patch near the bill
• Underparts: pale grayish, unmarked
• Rump: whitish, visible in flight
• Vs. Hoffmann's Woodpecker: Red-crowned Woodpecker is smaller with a more extensive red crown on males, occurring in northern South America rather than Central America

Males show an extensive red crown from forehead to nape, while females have a grayish crown with only a small patch of orange-yellow near the base of the bill. Juveniles are duller, with young males showing a less extensive red crown. A single annual molt follows breeding.

Resident in open woodland, scrub, forest edge, and urban parks and gardens across Colombia, Venezuela, and nearby Caribbean islands and coastal South America. It is non-migratory and adapts readily to human-modified landscapes.

Forages on trunks and branches for insects and also feeds on fruit and nectar, showing a flexible diet. It nests in cavities excavated in dead wood, including palm trunks and fence posts. Calls include sharp chattering notes, and it drums in quick, light bursts given its small size.