Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/73738437@N00 / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Golden-olive Woodpecker
Colaptes rubiginosus
Golden-olive Woodpecker (Colaptes rubiginosus) — Woodpeckers & Toucans of Central America & Caribbean.
Found across 14 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Golden-olive Woodpecker (Colaptes rubiginosus) is a member of the Picidae family found in Central America & Caribbean and South America. Adults weigh 55.8 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 Colaptes
- Species rubiginosus
Where it lives
Mexico to Guyana, northwestern Peru and northwestern Argentina
Quick facts
- Weight
- 55.8 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Picidae
- Order
- Piciformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Golden-olive Woodpecker is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Golden-olive Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Golden-olive Woodpecker (Colaptes rubiginosus) is a member of the Picidae family, within the order Piciformes. It is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America. Its distribution covers MA, SA Mexico to Guyana, nw Peru and nw Argentina.
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 55.8 g, with a wing length of about 12.5 cm and a tail of around 7.9 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 2.2 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Golden-olive Woodpecker?
The Golden-olive Woodpecker is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 55.8 g.
Where does the Golden-olive Woodpecker live?
The Golden-olive Woodpecker is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America with a range covering MA, SA Mexico to Guyana, nw Peru and nw Argentina, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Golden-olive Woodpecker belong to?
The Golden-olive Woodpecker (Colaptes rubiginosus) belongs to the Picidae family, in the order Piciformes.
What does the Golden-olive Woodpecker eat?
The Golden-olive Woodpecker is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Golden-olive Woodpecker migrate?
The Golden-olive Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Golden-olive Woodpecker 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 Golden-olive Woodpecker make?
1 real field recording of the Golden-olive Woodpecker — 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 Golden-olive Woodpecker's range?
The Golden-olive Woodpecker has a mapped global range of about 2.2 million 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.