A medium-sized woodpecker with the back finely barred in black and yellow-green. The head has a complex pattern of black, white and red: the nape is red in both sexes; the difference is the malar stripe, red in the male and black in the female. The neck is white. The belly is white with black spots. The bill is long and dark gray. It measures 27 to 30 cm. Very adaptable, it uses the Chaco woodland, gallery forest, palm groves and even the surroundings of rural homes.
Behaviour
Solitary or in pairs. It moves along trunks and branches using its bill as a chisel to extract larvae and insects from the wood. Its tongue is long and tipped with a sticky barb to reach the insects' galleries. It nests in holes it excavates in medium-diameter trees. Its song is a series of descending "wi-wi-wi-wi" notes.
How and when to see it
Year round. Its drumming on the trunks is easily heard in the woodland. One of the easiest woodpeckers to see for its size and adaptability.
Where to see it in the Iberá
The gateways of the Great Iberá Park where green-barred woodpecker has confirmed presence:
Tours to see it
Verified providers operating at the gateways where green-barred woodpecker lives. You contact them directly on WhatsApp from the app.
- Esteros Ñe’é
Experiencias con relato local y mirada cultural sobre los esteros.★ 5.0 - Gaucho Argentino
Travesías a caballo por una red de refugios en el Iberá. Cabalgatas de varios días con…★ 5.0 - Jurassic Plant - Tour Nocturno
El único jardín de plantas carnívoras de Argentina y pionero en Latinoamérica. Tour…★ 5.0 - Irupé Excursiones
Senderismo guiado. Visita guiada a museos, lugares históricos, capillas y senderos del…★ 5.0
Species profile
- Common nameGreen-barred Woodpecker
- Scientific nameColaptes melanochloros
- GroupBird
- StatusNative
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