Photo: desertnaturalist / CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Orinoco Piculet
Picumnus pumilus
Orinoco Piculet (Picumnus pumilus) — Woodpeckers & Toucans of South America.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Orinoco Piculet (Picumnus pumilus) is a member of the Picidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 9.5 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 pumilus
Quick facts
- Weight
- 9.5 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 Orinoco 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 Orinoco Piculet is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Orinoco Piculet (Picumnus pumilus) is a species of bird in the Picidae family, part of the order Piciformes. It occurs naturally across South America. Its distribution covers SA nw Amazonia.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 9.5 g, with a wing length of about 5 cm and a tail of around 2.3 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 210,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Orinoco Piculet?
The Orinoco Piculet is a very small bird that weighs around 9.5 g.
Where does the Orinoco Piculet live?
The Orinoco Piculet is found across South America with a range covering SA nw Amazonia, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Orinoco Piculet belong to?
The Orinoco Piculet (Picumnus pumilus) belongs to the Picidae family, in the order Piciformes.
What does the Orinoco Piculet eat?
The Orinoco Piculet is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Orinoco Piculet migrate?
The Orinoco Piculet is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Orinoco 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 Orinoco Piculet make?
1 real field recording of the Orinoco Piculet — 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 Orinoco Piculet's range?
The Orinoco Piculet has a mapped global range of about 210,000 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.