Photo: Fernando Flores / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Scaled Piculet
Picumnus squamulatus
Scaled Piculet (Picumnus squamulatus) — Woodpeckers & Toucans of South America.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Scaled Piculet (Picumnus squamulatus) is a member of the Picidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 10.2 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Piciformes
- Family Picidae Woodpeckers
- Genus Picumnus
- Species squamulatus
Quick facts
- Weight
- 10.2 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Picidae
- Order
- Piciformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Near Threatened
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Scaled Piculet is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open woodland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Scaled Piculet is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Scaled Piculet (Picumnus squamulatus) is a species of bird in the Picidae family, part of the order Piciformes. It is found across South America. Its distribution covers SA Colombia and Venezuela.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 10.2 g, with a wing length of about 5.1 cm and a tail of around 2.9 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 437,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Scaled Piculet?
The Scaled Piculet is a very small bird that weighs around 10.2 g.
Where does the Scaled Piculet live?
The Scaled Piculet is found across South America with a range covering SA Colombia and Venezuela, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Scaled Piculet belong to?
The Scaled Piculet (Picumnus squamulatus) belongs to the Picidae family, in the order Piciformes.
What does the Scaled Piculet eat?
The Scaled Piculet is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Scaled Piculet migrate?
The Scaled Piculet is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Scaled Piculet endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Scaled Piculet make?
1 real field recording of the Scaled Piculet — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Scaled Piculet's range?
The Scaled Piculet has a mapped global range of about 437,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
Best Suet Feeders for Woodpeckers
How to choose a suet feeder for woodpeckers — the styles compared, why a tail prop helps, and how to keep starlings off. A decision framework with the woodpecker species in the Birbs encyclopedia.
Meet the Picidae
A field guide to the Picidae family — 239 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.