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Photo: Joao Quental / CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Least Concern

Cream-colored Woodpecker

Celeus flavus

Cream-colored Woodpecker (Celeus flavus) — Woodpeckers & Toucans of South America.

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The Cream-colored Woodpecker (Celeus flavus) is a member of the Picidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 147 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

LC Least Concern

Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.

Where it fits

  1. Class Aves
  2. Order Piciformes
  3. Family Picidae Woodpeckers
  4. Genus Celeus
  5. Species flavus

Where it lives

Amazonia and southeastern Brazil

Quick facts

Weight
147 g
Family
Picidae
Order
Piciformes
Habitat
Woodland

How to identify

Similar birds

Biology & behaviour

Diet

The Cream-colored 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 Cream-colored Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.

The Cream-colored Woodpecker (Celeus flavus) is a species of bird in the Picidae family, part of the order Piciformes. It occurs naturally across South America. Its distribution covers SA Amazonia and se Brazil.

It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 147 g, with a wing length of about 14 cm and a tail of around 9.1 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 6.2 million km².

Songs & calls

Cream-colored Woodpecker — Song

Recorded by Marc Anderson Licence: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How big is the Cream-colored Woodpecker?

The Cream-colored Woodpecker is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 147 g.

Where does the Cream-colored Woodpecker live?

The Cream-colored Woodpecker is found across South America with a range covering SA Amazonia and se Brazil, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.

What family does the Cream-colored Woodpecker belong to?

The Cream-colored Woodpecker (Celeus flavus) belongs to the Picidae family, in the order Piciformes.

What does the Cream-colored Woodpecker eat?

The Cream-colored Woodpecker is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.

Does the Cream-colored Woodpecker migrate?

The Cream-colored Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.

Is the Cream-colored 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 Cream-colored Woodpecker make?

1 real field recording of the Cream-colored 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 Cream-colored Woodpecker's range?

The Cream-colored Woodpecker has a mapped global range of about 6.2 million km².

Conservation

Least Concern

Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.

How to help birds

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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.

3 min read

Meet the Picidae

A field guide to the Picidae family — 239 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.

1 min read

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