English             -            Green-barred Woodpecker

Portuguese     -             Pica pau verde-Barrado

Latin                 -             Colaptes melanochloros

Besides birds of prey, Woodpeckers would have to be my second favourite bird to photograph. I photographed the Green-barred Woodpecker while on a visited to Buraco das Araras in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. we had just visited the location and were having something to eat in the carpark. To the left of the entrance to Buraco das Araras there was a dirt track / road.  I decided to take a wee wander. As I was walking down it, I could hear a tap, tap, tapping off to the left and as I got closer, noticed the Green-barred Woodpecker. It didn’t seem too bothered with my presence and I managed to get really close to it. Unfortunately, it was a really dull day. Hot but dull, so the colours of the Green-barred Woodpecker are a bit flat.

* The Green-barred Woodpecker has a length of 29 cm and weighs up to 150g.

* It has a type of “kwiek-kwik-kwik call.

* The Green-barred Woodpecker is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

* It lives in a variety of habitats from lowland forest to Andean desert scrub.

* The Green-barred Woodpecker almost feed exclusively on ants but will also eat some cactus fruits and berries.

* It prefers to build its nest in cavities in dead trees. The female lays 2-4 white eggs. Both parents take turns at incubating the eggs, then later on, the feeding of the nestlings.

* The Green-barred Woodpecker is not globally threatened. it has very large range and is widespread within its range. It is a common or fairly common species with a stable population, therefore it is classified as a species “of least concern”  on the IUCN red list.