Lineated Woodpecker
Dryocopus lineatus
About This Species
A large, crested woodpecker of forest edges, clearings and secondary growth from Mexico south through much of South America, most often located by its loud, far-carrying drumming and sharp calls. It works dead trunks and large branches methodically for wood-boring insects, and pairs sometimes call back and forth while foraging within sight of each other. Early morning drumming bouts are the most reliable way to track one down before it moves on.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Watching from ten metres or more with binoculars avoids interrupting its foraging, since sudden movement near a feeding tree will usually flush it.
- Protections for woodpeckers and their nest cavities vary by country across its wide range, but disturbing an active nest hole is prohibited under wildlife law in most of them.
- Avoid felling or disturbing large dead trees where cavities are visible, since suitable nest snags can take decades to develop.
NEAvesPiciformesPicidae
Seasonal Activity
360,733 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Picidae
Photo
(c) angel_castillo_birdingtours, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by angel_castillo_birdingtours
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.