Striped woodpecker

The striped woodpecker was originally described as Picus Lignarius.^[4] It was later placed in Dyctiopicus, which was merged into Dendrocopos, which in turn was merged into Picoides where it and its sister species the checkered woodpecker (V. mixtus) were considered outliers. In 2006, Moore et al. published research on mtDNA COI and Cyt b sequences which suggested that the two belong in genus Veniliornis.^[5] That treatment is now (2023) followed by the International Ornithological Committee and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World.^[3][6] However, starting in 2018, the American Ornithological Society and the Clements taxonomy moved all species of genus Veniliornis into genus Dryobates.^[7][2][8] In addition, there have been suggestions that the striped and checkered woodpeckers are conspecific.^[9]

The striped woodpecker is treated as monotypic by all of the above taxonomic systems. However, the population in Bolivia differs in several ways from that further south and may deserve to be treated as a subspecies or species V. (or D.) (lignarius) puncticeps.^[9]

at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Discover more about Taxonomy and systematics related topics

Picoides

Picoides

Picoides is a genus of woodpeckers that are native to Eurasia and North America, commonly known as three-toed woodpeckers.

Checkered woodpecker

Checkered woodpecker

The checkered woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

Cytochrome c oxidase

Cytochrome c oxidase

The enzyme cytochrome c oxidase or Complex IV, is a large transmembrane protein complex found in bacteria, archaea, and mitochondria of eukaryotes.

BirdLife International

BirdLife International

BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding important sites for birds, maintaining and restoring key bird habitats, and empowering conservationists worldwide.

Handbook of the Birds of the World

Handbook of the Birds of the World

The Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) is a multi-volume series produced by the Spanish publishing house Lynx Edicions in partnership with BirdLife International. It is the first handbook to cover every known living species of bird. The series was edited by Josep del Hoyo, Andrew Elliott, Jordi Sargatal and David A. Christie.

American Ornithological Society

American Ornithological Society

The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Its members are primarily professional ornithologists, although membership is open to anyone with an interest in birds. The society publishes the two scholarly journals, The Auk and The Condor as well as the AOS Checklist of North American Birds.

Dryobates

Dryobates

Dryobates is a genus of birds in the woodpecker family Picidae. The species are widely distributed and occur in both Eurasia and the Americas.

Torres del Paine National Park

Torres del Paine National Park

Torres del Paine National Park is a national park encompassing mountains, glaciers, lakes, and rivers in southern Chilean Patagonia. The Cordillera del Paine is the centerpiece of the park. It lies in a transition area between the Magellanic subpolar forests and the Patagonian Steppes. The park is located 112 km (70 mi) north of Puerto Natales and 312 km (194 mi) north of Punta Arenas. The park borders Bernardo O'Higgins National Park to the west and the Los Glaciares National Park to the north in Argentine territory. Paine means "blue" in the native Tehuelche (Aonikenk) language and is pronounced PIE-neh, while Torres means "towers". It was established as a National Park in 1959.

The striped woodpecker is 15 to 16 cm (5.9 to 6.3 in) long and weighs 35 to 39 g (1.2 to 1.4 oz). Males and females have the same plumage except on their heads. Adults of both sexes have a black forehead and crown, a blackish hindneck, and a generally white face with a blackish stripe back and down from the eye and a black malar stripe. Males have some streaks or spots on the crown and a red to orange-red nape. The female's nape is black where the male's is red and its crown usually is solid black. Both sexes' upperparts are brownish black, with white scallops on northern birds and narrow white bars on southern ones. Their flight feathers are barred black and white. Their tail is dark brownish black with narrow white or buff-white bars. Their underparts are white with a yellow or buff tinge, and black streaks on the breast and belly and black bars on the flanks and undertail coverts. Juveniles are duller and browner than adults, with irregular bars on their upperparts and heavy streaks and bars on their underparts. Males have a red crown and females a small red patch on the crown.^[9]

The striped woodpecker has two disjunct populations. One is in west-central and southern Bolivia and extreme northern Argentina. The other is in central and southern Chile and southwestern Argentina. It inhabits a variety of landscapes, most of them semi-open to open forest. They include moist to humid forests dominated by Nothofagus or Podocarpus, Polylepis woodland, and dryer areas with cacti and scattered trees. In the north it also occurs in the interior of mature wet forest with watercourses, and both north and south occurs in lightly-treed pastures, orchards and plantations, and gardens. In elevation it ranges between 1,600 and 4,000 m (5,200 and 13,100 ft) in Bolivia but only up to 1,800 m (5,900 ft) in Chile and 2,700 m (8,900 ft) in Argentina.^[9]

Movement

The striped woodpecker is a year-round resident throughout its range but for some elevational changes between winter and summer. Reports of northward winter migration from the south appear to be inaccurate.^[9]

Feeding

The striped woodpecker usually forages alone but occasionally joins mixed-species feeding flocks. Its diet has not been defined in detail but it is known to feed on adult and larval insects. It takes its food mainly by gleaning and probing but also pecks and hammers to reach below the substrate surface.^[9]

Breeding

The striped woodpecker is belived to nest between June and September in Bolivia and between October and January in Chile and Argentina. It excavates a nest cavity in a tree or cactus, typically between about 2 and 12 m (7 and 40 ft) above the ground. The clutch size is three to five eggs; the incubation period and time to fledging are not known. Both sexes provision nestlings.^[9]

Vocalization

The striped woodpecker makes a loud "peek" and also a "trill as [a] long-distance call".^[9]

The IUCN has assesed the striped woodpecker as being of Least Concern. It has a large range, and though its population size is not known it is believed to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified.^[1] It occurs in several national parks in Chile and Argentina but is poorly known and "requires study".^[9]