Photo: Steve Garvie from Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Chestnut Woodpecker
Celeus elegans
Chestnut Woodpecker (Celeus elegans) — Woodpeckers & Toucans of South America.
Found across 8 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Chestnut Woodpecker (Celeus elegans) is a member of the Picidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 135 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 Celeus
- Species elegans
Quick facts
- Weight
- 135 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Picidae
- Order
- Piciformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Vulnerable
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Chestnut 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 Chestnut Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Chestnut Woodpecker (Celeus elegans) is a species of bird in the Picidae family, part of the order Piciformes. Its range spans South America. Its distribution covers SA n, Amazonia.
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 135 g, with a wing length of about 16.1 cm and a tail of around 10 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 6.5 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Chestnut Woodpecker?
The Chestnut Woodpecker is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 135 g.
Where does the Chestnut Woodpecker live?
The Chestnut Woodpecker is found across South America with a range covering SA n, Amazonia, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Chestnut Woodpecker belong to?
The Chestnut Woodpecker (Celeus elegans) belongs to the Picidae family, in the order Piciformes.
What does the Chestnut Woodpecker eat?
The Chestnut Woodpecker is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Chestnut Woodpecker migrate?
The Chestnut Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Chestnut 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 Chestnut Woodpecker make?
1 real field recording of the Chestnut Woodpecker — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Chestnut Woodpecker's range?
The Chestnut Woodpecker has a mapped global range of about 6.5 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.