The Crimson-Crested Woodpecker – One of The LARGEST Woodpeckers in Guyana!

If you ever find yourself surrounded by nature and you hear a drilling sound, more often than not it is the sound of a woodpecker boring into a tree in search of food. There are several species of woodpeckers like the Red-necked woodpecker, White-bellied Piculet and the Crimson-Crested Woodpecker in Guyana. If you spy a large bird with a red mohawk or crest and a white V shape on its back, you can be sure a Crimson-Crested Woodpecker is the noisemaker! The Crimson-Crested Woodpecker is one of the largest woodpeckers in Guyana. It grows as big as thirty-three to thirty-eight (33–38) centimetres long and typically weighs about one hundred eight to two hundred eighty-five (180–285) grams. Read on to find out more interesting facts about this magnificent creature.

Identifying The Crimson-Crested Woodpecker

• Male Coloration –  The male Crimson-Crested Woodpecker is distinctive because of its head, which is almost entirely red. It has barred underparts. It has a black-and-white patch on the cheek and the adults typically have one red line from the bill to the throat and red on the front of the crown.
• Female Coloration – The adult females have black plumage feathers. They can be differentiated from other woodpecks by a broad, white stripe on their face and a white V shape on their backs.

Scientific Classification Of the Crimson-Crested Woodpecker

Crimson-Crested Woodpecker – Campephilus melanoleucos  [Scientific name]

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Aves
• Order: Piciformes
• Family: Picidae
• Genus: Campephilus
• Species: C. melanoleucos

Habitat Of The Crimson-Crested Woodpecker

This particular species of woodpeckers, the Crimson-Crested Woodpecker is prone to living in lowland forests and open woodlands. You can find the Crimson-Crested Woodpecker along the south of Panama, to northern regions of  Argentina, and in Trinidad and Guyana.

Tip: The birds occur in pairs or family groups.

Behaviour & Lifestyle

This woodpecker has the ability to fly silently but often make a heavy sound that keeps a pair informed of their movements. Crimson-crested woodpeckers like to make their nests with big, oval-shaped entrances. They often communicate with their mates by drumming. Like the Red-necked Woodpecker, the Crimson-Crested Woodpecker also prepares a nest in holes made in large, dead trees.

Reproduction Of The Crimson-Crested Woodpecker

The females typically lay two or three white eggs but occasionally lays four. The incubation of the chicks is about nine (9) to fourteen (14) days. While these birds have a short incubation period, their nesting is longer than most species of birds. Both parents brood and feed the chicks which remain in the nest for three (3) to four (4) weeks after hatching. However, when the next breeding season comes, the young can no longer remain with the family.

Did You Know? The call of the Crimson-Crested Woodpecker is a loud, ringing “CHEE-sic”.

Drumming Skills

Drumming is a form of non-verbal communication used by woodpeckers. This drumming has several functions including enabling pairs to stay in touch. Louder drumming is the declaration of dominance and usually caused by territorial disputes. The drumming of the Crimson-Crested Woodpeckeris a strong blow, after which comes a short and weak “DA-drrr.” This normally occurs at a rate of one or two per minute, with three being very fast.

Diet & Feeding

The diet of the Crimson-Crested Woodpecker comprises mainly of wood-boring insects and larvae but they also eat ants, caterpillars, termites and small vertebrates. Sometimes they would eat berries if they cannot find any animal matter. You can see as much as four of these woodpeckers feeding at the same dead tree, with no hostility. The Crimson-Crested Woodpeckers can sometimes leave gaping holes in trees, evidence of their search for food.

Crimson-Crested Woodpecker In Guyana

The Crimson Crested Woodpecker in only one of Guyana’s many unique birds. It is distinguished from others of its kind by the red feathers on its head bordered by white stripes running on its back. The bird helps to get rid of pesky wood-ants and termites by gobbling them up. When it’s not drilling in search of food, this bird can be found building nests with gigantic openings. The Crimson Crested Woodpecker is a part of Guyana’s natural fauna and serves to further enhance our local variety of birds.

Articles References

• https://ebird.org/species/crcwoo1
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimson-crested_woodpecker
• https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/eed0/d08fdcfc981915f8b7bcc083b84df82a1aa1.pdf