Photo: Francesco Veronesi from Italy / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Powerful Woodpecker
Campephilus pollens
Powerful Woodpecker (Campephilus pollens) — Woodpeckers & Toucans of South America.
Found across 6 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Powerful Woodpecker (Campephilus pollens) is a member of the Picidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 188 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 Campephilus
- Species pollens
Quick facts
- Weight
- 188 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Picidae
- Order
- Piciformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Powerful Woodpecker is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Powerful Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Powerful Woodpecker (Campephilus pollens) is a species of bird in the Picidae family, part of the order Piciformes. It is found across South America. Its distribution covers SA nc Colombia to Peru.
It is a large bird. Adults weighs around 188 g, with a wing length of about 17.5 cm and a tail of around 12.8 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 196,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Powerful Woodpecker?
The Powerful Woodpecker is a large bird that weighs around 188 g.
Where does the Powerful Woodpecker live?
The Powerful Woodpecker is found across South America with a range covering SA nc Colombia to Peru, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Powerful Woodpecker belong to?
The Powerful Woodpecker (Campephilus pollens) belongs to the Picidae family, in the order Piciformes.
What does the Powerful Woodpecker eat?
The Powerful Woodpecker is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Powerful Woodpecker migrate?
The Powerful Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Powerful 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 Powerful Woodpecker make?
1 real field recording of the Powerful 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 Powerful Woodpecker's range?
The Powerful Woodpecker has a mapped global range of about 196,000 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.