The Chestnut-colored Woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker that belongs to the Picidae family, along with other woodpeckers, flickers, and sapsuckers. It is the only woodpecker in North America that has a completely red or yellow body, depending on the sex. The male has a strawberry-red plumage, while the female has a mustard-yellow one. Both sexes have a black bill, a long tail, and a blond crest that can be raised or lowered.
The Chestnut-colored Woodpecker lives in the humid tropical lowlands of Central America, from Mexico to Panama. It prefers evergreen and semi-deciduous forests, but also occurs in mangroves, coastal scrub, and clearings with tall trees. It is uncommon and often inconspicuous, as it forages mainly at middle to upper levels of the forest.
The Chestnut-colored Woodpecker feeds mostly on ants and termites, which it catches on the wing or pecks from tunnels and bark. It also eats other insects, seeds, nuts, berries, eggs, and small animals. It sometimes visits bird feeders, where it may compete with other birds for food. It has a loud and harsh voice, and can imitate the sounds of other birds, animals, and humans. It has a distinctive chuckling call note, and a song that resembles a robin’s but is clearer and less nasal.
The Chestnut-colored Woodpecker breeds from February to August, depending on the location. It builds a cup-shaped nest of twigs, moss, and mud, usually in a conifer tree. The female lays 3 to 6 eggs, which are greenish or bluish with brown spots. The male helps to incubate the eggs and feed the young. The chicks fledge after about 16 days, and stay with their parents for another month or so.
The Chestnut-colored Woodpecker is a resident bird that does not migrate. It is not threatened by extinction, and has a large and stable population. However, it may face some threats from habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation, as well as from predators, parasites, and diseases. Therefore, it is important to protect and conserve its natural environment, and to appreciate its beauty and role in the ecosystem.
