Bar-breasted Piculet Picumnus aurifrons Scientific name definitions

Bar-breasted Piculets inhabit humid forests, including terra firme and várzea , and prefer edges, second growth, and clearings. These yellowish green piculets have horizontal barring on the chest and vertical streaking on the belly. Several different subspecies exist throughout their large range. Unfortunately, very little is known about their life history and basic ecology.

7·5 cm; 8–10 g, male 9·2 g, female 8·6 g. Male has top of head black, yellow streaks mostly on forehead, remainder spotted white  ; buff lores, grey-brown cheeks and ear-coverts, whitish line behind eye; ­olive-green upperparts , somewhat browner wing-coverts and tertials with paler greenish edgings; brownish-black primaries and secondaries, edged greenish-yellow; black uppertail, central feather pair with yellowish-white inner webs, outer 2 pairs with whitish subterminal patch; whitish chin and throat  weakly barred dark at sides; remaining underparts pale yellowish-white, breast barred brown, breast sides and upper belly with arrowhead-shaped streaks, belly and flanks broadly streaked brown; underwing-coverts yellowish; bill short, grey to blue-grey; iris brown, orbital skin grey; legs greyish. Differs from similar P. lafresnayi in yellow forehead streaks, unbarred back, streaked belly. Female  has entire forehead and crown spotted white. Juvenile  duller brown, crown browner and streaked (not spotted), markings below less heavy, streaks extending up to lower breast. Race purusianus is darker above, breast more heavily barred black; flavifrons similar but faintly barred above, breast barring less heavy, belly strongly spotted; <em>wallacii</em> is obscurely barred above, paler below, breast bars fainter, belly more spotted; transfasciatus has heavily barred upperparts, strongly barred breast; borbae has red forehead streaks, yellower tertial edges, yellower belly, stronger blacker breast bars; juruanus also has reddish-orange forehead streaks, but far weaker breast barring.

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Inhabits humid tropical terra firme forest, and also seasonally inundated várzea forest; found mainly at edges and in clearings, and also in second growth. Recorded from lowlands up to 1100 m.

Apparently resident.

Virtually unknown; presumably insects. Recorded taking insect larvae . Seems to prefer the upper canopy for foraging.

Call “tsirrrit-tsit-tsit” , resembling that of hummingbird (Trochilidae).

Season presumably Jun–Nov. Recorded making nest  in Apr and feeding young  in Oct. No other information.

Not globally threatened. Very poorly known. Appears to be at best uncommon, but possibly overlooked. Occurs in Manu National Park and Tambopata Reserve, both in Peru.