Ochre-collared Piculet Picumnus temminckii Scientific name definitions

Confined to the southern Atlantic Forest, the Ochre-collared Piculet is found from southeast Brazil to eastern Paraguay and extreme northeast Argentina. The upperparts are largely brown, with a prominent buff hindcollar, a black crown (with a red forehead in males), and pale underparts barred with black. Despite being reasonably common in reasonably wide variety of wooded habitats down to sea level, the Ochre-collared Piculet is a surprisingly poorly known bird. Like several other Picumnus, this species is known to interbreed with other piculets, at least occasionally, in this case with both the White-wedged Piculet (Picumnus albosquamatus) and the White-barred Piculet (Picumnus cirratus).

9–10 cm; 10–12·5 g. Male has top of head black, feathers of forecrown  tipped red, hindcrown and nape finely spotted white; buff-white lower forehead, lores and nasal tufts; rich buff-brown cheeks and ear-coverts bordered above by bright buff-white or white line behind eye; broad cinnamon-buff hindneck-collar, often brighter at junction with nape; brown upperparts  plain or very faintly barred paler, brown wing-coverts edged buff; flight-feathers dark brown, narrowly edged buff; uppertail blackish, central feather pair with white stripe on inner webs  , outer 2 pairs with diagonal white subterminal area; malar, chin and throat pale buffish-white, feathers narrowly tipped blackish; rest of underparts whitish, becoming strongly buff on flanks and lower belly, all with bold but rather narrow black bars; underwing light brown, coverts whitish; bill short, culmen slightly curved, black with greyish base; iris brown, orbital skin greyish; legs greyish. Female lacks red on crown. Juvenile darker and duller than adult, heavier but more diffuse barring below.

• White-barred x Ochre-collared Piculet (hybrid) Picumnus cirratus x temminckii

E Paraguay, NE Argentina (Misiones) and SE Brazil (São Paulo S to Rio Grande do Sul).

Very little known. Diet includes ants (Myrmelachista) and insect larvae  . Forages at low levels, usually on slender stalks, also on thin, hollow branches  .

High-pitched whistle  , “tsirrrr, si-si-si...”; drums loudly in short bursts of strokes, similar to drumming of P. nebulosus but slower.

Little information. Male attending nest, in hole at c. 2.5 m above the ground, recorded in Sao Paulo state in Oct (2 Kirwan, G. M. (2009). Notes on the breeding ecology and seasonality of some Brazilian birds. Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia 17(2):121–136. Close ). Also recorded mating  in Sep, nest-building in Oct  , Nov  and Dec  , and feeding  chicks  in Nov.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). No data available on numbers; fairly common, at least locally, e.g. at Urugua-i Provincial Park in Misiones (N Argentina). Occurs in neighbouring Iguaçú and Iguazú National Parks (Brazil/Argentina).