Photo: Hector Bottai / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Golden-spangled Piculet
Picumnus exilis
Golden-spangled Piculet (Picumnus exilis) — Woodpeckers & Toucans of South America.
Found across 4 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Golden-spangled Piculet (Picumnus exilis) is a member of the Picidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 9.3 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 exilis
Quick facts
- Weight
- 9.3 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 Golden-spangled Piculet 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 Golden-spangled Piculet is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Golden-spangled Piculet (Picumnus exilis) belongs to the Picidae family of the order Piciformes. Its range spans South America. Its distribution covers SA ne, e Brazil.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 9.3 g, with a wing length of about 4.9 cm and a tail of around 2.6 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 1.2 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Golden-spangled Piculet?
The Golden-spangled Piculet is a very small bird that weighs around 9.3 g.
Where does the Golden-spangled Piculet live?
The Golden-spangled Piculet is found across South America with a range covering SA ne, e Brazil, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Golden-spangled Piculet belong to?
The Golden-spangled Piculet (Picumnus exilis) belongs to the Picidae family, in the order Piciformes.
What does the Golden-spangled Piculet eat?
The Golden-spangled Piculet is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Golden-spangled Piculet migrate?
The Golden-spangled Piculet is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Golden-spangled 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 Golden-spangled Piculet make?
1 real field recording of the Golden-spangled 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 Golden-spangled Piculet's range?
The Golden-spangled Piculet has a mapped global range of about 1.2 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.