Piculus chrysochloros

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Cladus: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Ordo: Piciformes

Familia: Picidae
Subfamilia: Picinae
Genus: Piculus
Species: Piculus chrysochloros
Subspecies: P. c. aurosus – P. c. capistratus – P. c. chrysochloros – P. c. guianensis – P. c. hypochryseus – P. c. laemostictus – P. c. paraensis – P. c. polyzonus – P. c. xanthochlorus
Name

Piculus chrysochloros (Vieillot, 1818)
Synonyms

Picus chrysochloros (protonym)

References
Primary references

Vieillot, L.P. 1818. Nouveau Dictionnaire d’Histoire naturelle, appliquée aux arts, à l'agriculture, à l'économie rurale et domestique, à la médecine, etc. Par une société de naturalistes et d'agriculteurs. Avec des figures tirées des trois règnes de la nature. 26. 584 pp. + 8 tt. Déterville, Paris. p. 98 BHL Reference page.

Additional references

Del-Rio, G., Silveira, L.F., Cavarzere, V. & Rêgo, M.A. 2013. A taxonomic review of the golden-green woodpecker, Piculus chrysochloros (Aves: Picidae) reveals the existence of six valid taxa. Zootaxa 3626(4): 531–542. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3626.4.7 Full article (PDF) Reference page.

Vernacular names
English: Golden-green Woodpecker
español: Carpintero verdiamarillo
français: Pic vert-doré
português do Brasil: Pica-pau-dourado-escuro

The golden-green woodpecker (Piculus chrysochloros) is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Panama and every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.[2][3]
Taxonomy and systematics

The golden-green woodpecker's taxonomy is unsettled. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and the Clements taxonomy recognize these six subspecies:[2][4]

P. c. xanthochlorus (Sclater, P.L. & Salvin, 1875)
P. c. capistratus (Malherbe, 1862)
P. c. laemostictus Todd, 1937
P. c. paraensis (Snethlage, E., 1907)
P. c. polyzonus (Valenciennes, 1826)
P. c. chrysochloros (Vieillot, 1818)

BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World further subdivides the golden-green woodpecker by adding the three subspecies P. c. aurosus, P. c. guianensis, and P. c. hypochryseus but does not list their originators.[5] However, a 2013 study found that they are not "diagnosable units".[6]

Subspecies P. c. xanthochlorus has at times been treated as a separate species.[7]

Some authors treat the golden-green woodpecker and the yellow-browed woodpecker (P. aurulentus) as a superspecies.[7]

This article follows the six-subspecies model.
Piculus chrysochloros Swainson, 1820
Description

The golden-green woodpecker is 18 to 27 cm (7.1 to 11 in) long and weighs 55 to 91 g (1.9 to 3.2 oz). Males and females have the same plumage except on their heads. Males of the nominate subspecies P. c. chrysochloros are red from forehead to nape, have olive green from the lores around the eye and onto the side of the neck, and successively a pale yellow stripe, a short red malar band, and an olive green stripe below that area. Their chin and upper throat are yellow. The nominate female has no red on its head; its forehead to nape are olive and it has an olive-brown malar area. Nominate adults have olive green upperparts. Their flight feathers are darker olive-brown and their tail dark olive-brown. Their underparts are pale yellow-buff with olive-brown bars. Their longtish beak is dark gray to blackish with a paler base, their iris white to bluish white, and the legs grayish green. Juveniles are generally duller than adults and have less well defined barring on their underparts.[8]

Subspecies P. c. xanthochlorus is smaller and brighter yellow than the nominate, and the female has a yellow crown. P. c. capistratus is very large and a darker olive green above than the nominate, and has less red in the malar area, a barred throat, and greenish white instead of yellow buff on their underparts. P. c. paraensis is intermediate in size. Its cheek stripe, throat, and underparts' base color are cinnamon-buff. Males have a green, not red, malar, and females have a greenish yellow crown. P. c. laemostictus is large and rather dark, with a plain whitish throat. P. c. polyzonus is also large, with a pale yellow cheek stripe and throat and a yellow base color on the underparts.[8]
Distribution and habitat

The subspecies of the golden-green woodpecker are found thus:[2][8]

P. c. xanthochlorus, eastern Panama, northern Colombia, and northern Venezuela
P. c. capistratus, from southeastern Colombia south through eastern Ecuador into northern Peru and east through the Guianas into Brazil north of the Amazon
P. c. laemostictus, from eastern Peru and northern Bolivia east to central Brazil south of the Amazon
P. c. paraensis, northeastern Brazil centered on Belém
P. c. polyzonus, southeastern Brazil between the states of Bahia and Rio de Janeiro
P. c. chrysochloros, central and southern Brazil, eastern Bolivia, western Paraguay, and northern Argentina

The golden-green woodpecker inhabits a wide variety of landscapes, most of them wooded to some degree. They include terra firme and várzea forest, rainforest, deciduous forest, and more open areas like treed savannah, pastures, and clearings. In elevation it ranges from sea level on the Atlantic coast to 450 m (1,500 ft) in northwestern Venezuela, to 650 m (2,100 ft) in southern Venezuela, to 500 m (1,600 ft) in Colombia, to 650 m (2,100 ft) in Peru, and to 600 m (2,000 ft) but usually only to 300 m (1,000 ft) in Ecuador.[8]
Behavior
Movement

The golden-green woodpecker is a year-round resident throughout its range.[8]
Feeding

The golden-green woodpecker mostly forages in the forest's subcanopy and canopy, by itself, in pairs, or as part of a mixed species feeding flock. It commonly feeds by gleaning and also pecks and excavates to reach prey. Its diet has not been studied but is known to include ants and termites.[8]
Breeding

The golden-green woodpecker's breeding season is not well known but appears to vary geographically. Breeding has been recorded between February and March in Colombia and in September in Argentina. It excavates its nest cavity in a tree or in the nest of arboreal insects. The clutch size, incubation period, time to fledging, and details of parental care are not known.[8]

Dickcissel male perched on a metal pole singing, with neck stretched and beak open.

Songs and calls
Listen to golden-green woodpecker on xeno-canto
Vocalization

The golden-green woodpecker's song is a "series of 15 almost toneless, hoarse 'schraah' notes, sounding like a hysterically crying baby."[9]
Status

The IUCN has assessed the golden-green woodpecker as being of Least Concern. It has an extremely large range and an estimated population of at least a half million mature individuals, though the latter is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified.[1] It is considered from rare to "not uncommon" in different parts of its range and occurs in several protected areas. "Despite [its] large range, this species is not particularly well known."[8]
References

BirdLife International (2020). "Golden-green Woodpecker Piculus chrysochloros". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T22681243A168653734. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22681243A168653734.en. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P., eds. (August 2022). "Woodpeckers". IOC World Bird List. v 12.2. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 July 2022. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved July 24, 2022
Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved November 10, 2022
HBW and BirdLife International (2022) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 7. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v7_Dec22.zip retrieved December 13, 2022
Del-Rio, G., Silveira, L.F., Cavarzere, V. and Rêgo, M.A. (2013). A taxonomic review of the Golden-green Woodpecker, Piculus chrysochloros (Aves: Picidae) reveals the existence of six valid taxa. Zootaxa 3626(4): 531–542.
Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 July 2022. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved July 24, 2022
Winkler, H., D. A. Christie, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Golden-green Woodpecker (Piculus chrysochloros), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.gogwoo1.01 retrieved January 27, 2023
Ridgely, Robert S.; Greenfield, Paul J. (2001). The Birds of Ecuador: Field Guide. Vol. II. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. p. 192. ISBN 978-0-8014-8721-7.