Striped Woodpecker Dryobates lignarius Scientific name definitions

Up until recently the Striped Woodpecker, along with the closely related Checkered Woodpecker (Veniliornis mixtus) were considered to belong in the northern hemisphere genus Picoides. This is because these woodpeckers are small, temperate and black and white in plumage. Other small woodpeckers in the Neotropics are greenish rather than the classic black and white common in small woodpeckers of the northern temperate regions. Molecular work has clarified that the Striped (and Checkered) woodpeckers are actually without a doubt in the Veniliornis genus, a group of Neotropical woodpeckers that are greenish in color! This then begs the question, why are temperate small woodpeckers black and white, while tropical ones tend to be greenish? Is it a form of camouflage? Are tree trunks distinctly greener in the tropics? The Striped Woodpecker is an uncommon to low density species found in both temperate (Nothofagus spp.) forests, as well as dry forests farther north on the Chilean side of the Andes. There is an isolated subspecies in Bolivia which biogeographically and ecologically is almost certainly more closely related to the Checkered Woodpecker, and it could also be an entirely different species? Striped and Checkered woodpeckers are not found sympatrically, and this is a good thing because they are very similar. The Striped is darker, and more clearly barred above, and striped below; in addition it has fewer and wider pale bars on the tail and a more distinct face pattern showing a dark mask surrounded by pale.

15–16 cm; 35–39 g. Male has black forehead and crown, crown with variable amount of streaking or spotting, red to orange-red nape or red sometimes restricted to nape side, blackish hindneck; dark brownish-black ear-coverts faintly spotted white; white from supercilium continuing behind ear-­coverts to join broad white line from lores; blackish malar stripe mixed with white feathering, heavily white-streaked near bill; whitish chin, throat finely streaked or spotted black; dark brownish-black upperparts narrowly barred (S population) or scalloped (N population) white to pale brownish white, wing-coverts with large white spots, flight-feathers barred white; uppertail dark brownish black, all feathers narrowly barred white or buff-white; white below, often tinged yellow or buff, and heavily and coarsely streaked blackish (streaks much finer in N population), streaks finer on belly, bars on lower flanks and undertail-coverts; longish bill (shorter in N) virtually straight, black, paler base and lower mandible; iris deep brown; legs grey or grey-brown. Distinguished from extremely similar V. mixtus by marginally larger size, slightly darker appearance, narrower white bars above, heavier markings below. Female lacks red on nape , usually has no white crown spots. Juvenile duller and browner than adult, more irregularly barred above, with heavier streaks and bars below, male with entire crown red, female with small red crown patch.

WC & S Bolivia (from La Paz, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz) S to N Argentina (Salta); Andean foothills and lowlands in C & S Chile (Bío-Bío to Magallanes) and SW Argentina (Neuquén to Santa Cruz).

Humid to transitional forest. Nothofagus forest, Podocarpus forest, Polylepis woodland; open forest and edge of dense forest, open stunted forest, and interior of tall wet forest with watercourses in N; dry areas with scattered trees and cacti. Also found in pastures with shade trees, plantations and orchards; enters gardens. Occurs at 1600–4000 m in Bolivia; to 1800 m in Chile and Argentina, except in NW of latter country, where recorded at 2700 m (4 Mazar Barnett, J., Clark, R., Bodrati, A., Bodrati, G., Pugnali, G. and della Seta, M. (1998). Natural history notes on some little-known birds in north-west Argentina. Cotinga. 9: 64–75. Close ).

Resident; some altitudinal movements in winter. Populations breeding farthest S said to migrate N as far as WC Argentina (La Rioja, Córdoba) after breeding; recent research suggests, however, that this assertion probably based on misidentified specimens and confusion of scientific names, although sole La Rioja specimen said to be V. lignarius has now been lost (5 Mazar Barnett, J. (2003). On the migratory status of the Patagonian population of the Striped Woodpecker Picoides lignarius. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. 123(2): 130-135. Close ).

Diet largely unrecorded, but items brought to nest were exclusively insects, both adults and larvae, especially Coleoptera (6 Figueroa Rojas, R.A. and Corales Stappung, E.S. (2003). Notas sobre la conducta de crianza del Carpintero Bataraz Grande (Picoides lignarius) en el bosque lluvioso templado del sur de Chile. Hornero. 18(2): 119-122. Close ); generally presumed to include variety of surface-dwelling insects and wood-boring larvae. Forages solitarily; occasionally joins mixed-species feeding flocks. Main techniques are gleaning and probing; also pecks and hammers.

Loud “peek”; also trill as long-distance call, lower and less harsh than that of V. mixtus.

Probably in Jun–Sept in Bolivia; from Oct in N to Jan in S in Chile and Argentina. Nest-hole excavated in tree or cactus, 2·2–12 m above ground (6 Figueroa Rojas, R.A. and Corales Stappung, E.S. (2003). Notas sobre la conducta de crianza del Carpintero Bataraz Grande (Picoides lignarius) en el bosque lluvioso templado del sur de Chile. Hornero. 18(2): 119-122. Close ); once in a dead Luma apiculata 2·2 m tall, the entrance hole 4·7 cm in diamter, 1·85 m above ground and cavity c. 18–20 cm deep (6 Figueroa Rojas, R.A. and Corales Stappung, E.S. (2003). Notas sobre la conducta de crianza del Carpintero Bataraz Grande (Picoides lignarius) en el bosque lluvioso templado del sur de Chile. Hornero. 18(2): 119-122. Close ). Clutch 3–5 eggs; no information on incubation and fledging periods, but both sexes provision young, especially female (78% of food deliveries at one nest over three-day period), at rate of once every c. 13 minutes (6 Figueroa Rojas, R.A. and Corales Stappung, E.S. (2003). Notas sobre la conducta de crianza del Carpintero Bataraz Grande (Picoides lignarius) en el bosque lluvioso templado del sur de Chile. Hornero. 18(2): 119-122. Close ).

Not globally threatened. No information on numbers; probably fairly common. Occurs in Cerro La Campana, Nahuelbuta, Torres del Paine (5 Mazar Barnett, J. (2003). On the migratory status of the Patagonian population of the Striped Woodpecker Picoides lignarius. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. 123(2): 130-135. Close ) and Vicente Pérez Rosales National Parks, Las Chinchillas National Reserve (7 Jaksić, F.M. and Lazo, I. (1999). Response of a bird assemblage in semiarid Chile to the 1997–1998 El Niño. Wilson Bull.. 111(4): 527–535. Close ) (Chile), Lago Puelo (5 Mazar Barnett, J. (2003). On the migratory status of the Patagonian population of the Striped Woodpecker Picoides lignarius. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. 123(2): 130-135. Close ), Los Glaciares (8 Darrieu, C. A., A. R. Camperi, and S. Imberti (2008). Avifauna (non Passeriformes) of Santa Cruz province, Patagonia (Argentina): annotated list of species. Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales 10:111–145. Close ), Nahuel Huapi (5 Mazar Barnett, J. (2003). On the migratory status of the Patagonian population of the Striped Woodpecker Picoides lignarius. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. 123(2): 130-135. Close ) and Perito Moreno (8 Darrieu, C. A., A. R. Camperi, and S. Imberti (2008). Avifauna (non Passeriformes) of Santa Cruz province, Patagonia (Argentina): annotated list of species. Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales 10:111–145. Close ) National Parks (Argentina). A poorly known species; requires study.