Piculus simplex

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 simplex
Name

Piculus simplex (Salvin, 1870)
References

Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London Pt2 p. 212
Vernacular names
English: Rufous-winged Woodpecker
français: Pic à ailes rousses
magyar: Vörösszárnyú zöldfakopáncs

The rufous-winged woodpecker (Piculus simplex) is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.[2]
Taxonomy and systematics

The rufous-winged woodpecker was originally described as Chloronerpes simplex.[3] Since its inclusion in Piculus it has at times been considered conspecific with the stripe-cheeked woodpecker (P. callopterus), the white-throated woodpecker (P. leucolaemus), and the Lita woodpecker (P. litae); the four may form a superspecies.[4] The rufous-winged woodpecker is monotypic[2] but at times part of the Honduran population has been proposed as a subspecies.[4]
Description

The rufous-winged woodpecker is about 18 cm (7.1 in) long and weighs 51 to 55 g (1.8 to 1.9 oz). Males and females have the same plumage except on their heads. Males are red from forehead to hindneck and very widely on the malar (cheek); the rest of its face is brownish green. The female's head is mostly brownish olive with red only on the nape and hindneck. Adults of both sexes have bronze-green upperparts. Their flight feathers are mostly cinnamon-rufous with much dark olive on the webs. Their tail is blackish with a hint of cinnamon-rufous on the outer feathers. Their throat and upper breast are olive-green; the upper breast has pale buffish yellow spots. The rest of their underparts are pale yellow-buff with dark olive bars. Their shortish beak is blackish with a paler gray mandible, their iris pale bluish or yellowish to white, and the legs olive to grayish. Juveniles are duller, grayer, and greener; their throat and breast have buffish green spots, and their underparts' barring is uneven. Males have red only from the rear crown to the hindneck.[4]
Distribution and habitat

The rufous-winged woodpecker is found from eastern Honduras through Nicaragua and Costa Rica into western Panama. It inhabits humid forest but sometimes ventures to isolated large trees in open areas nearby. In elevation it occurs up to 750 m (2,500 ft) on the Caribbean side and to 900 m (3,000 ft) on the Pacific side.[4]
Behavior
Movement

The rufous-winged woodpecker is a year-round resident throughout its range.[4]
Feeding

The rufous-winged woodpecker usually forages alone, but sometimes in pairs and occasionally as part of a mixed species feeding flock. It forages at most levels of the forest, favoring the interior. It mostly feeds by pecking into the substrate. Its diet includes ants and adult and larval beetles.[4]
Breeding

The rufous-winged woodpecker's breeding season is from February to May. It excavates a nest hole in recently dead or rotten wood, usually between 2.5 and 5 m (8 and 16 ft) above the ground. The clutch size is two to four eggs. The incubation period, time to fledging, and details of parental care are not known.[4]

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

Songs and calls
Listen to rufous-winged woodpecker on xeno-canto
Vocal and non-vocal sounds

The rufous-winged woodpecker's song is "a vigorous, jay-like chea, chea, chea, chea"[5] also described as a "loud, emphatic series of slightly nasal downslurred 'heew' notes. It drums "in long bursts".[4]
Status

The IUCN has assessed the rufous-winged woodpecker as being of Least Concern. It has a large range and an estimated population of at least 50,000 mature individuals, though the latter is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified.[1] It is considered "uncommon to fairly common" and occurs in two protected areas in Costa Rica.[4]
References

BirdLife International (2020). "Rufous-winged Woodpecker Piculus simplex". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T22681228A141041150. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22681228A141041150.en. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P., eds. (August 2022). "Woodpeckers". IOC World Bird List. v 12.2. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
Salvin, Osbert (1870). "Chloronerpes simplex". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London: 212. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
Winkler, H. and D. A. Christie (2020). Rufous-winged Woodpecker (Piculus simplex), 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.ruwwoo1.01 retrieved January 26, 2023
Garrigues, Richard; Dean, Robert (2007). The Birds of Costa Rica. Ithaca: Zona Tropical/Comstock/Cornell University Press. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-8014-7373-9.