Photo: Hector Bottai / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Plain-breasted Piculet
Picumnus castelnau
Plain-breasted Piculet (Picumnus castelnau) — 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 Plain-breasted Piculet (Picumnus castelnau) is a member of the Picidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 11.4 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 castelnau
Quick facts
- Weight
- 11.4 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 Plain-breasted 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 Plain-breasted Piculet is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Plain-breasted Piculet (Picumnus castelnau) is a species of bird in the Picidae family, part of the order Piciformes. It is found across South America. Its distribution covers SA w Amazonia.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 11.4 g, with a wing length of about 5.1 cm and a tail of around 2.5 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 58,000 km².
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Plain-breasted Piculet?
The Plain-breasted Piculet is a very small bird that weighs around 11.4 g.
Where does the Plain-breasted Piculet live?
The Plain-breasted Piculet is found across South America with a range covering SA w Amazonia, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Plain-breasted Piculet belong to?
The Plain-breasted Piculet (Picumnus castelnau) belongs to the Picidae family, in the order Piciformes.
What does the Plain-breasted Piculet eat?
The Plain-breasted Piculet is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Plain-breasted Piculet migrate?
The Plain-breasted Piculet is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Plain-breasted 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.
How large is the Plain-breasted Piculet's range?
The Plain-breasted Piculet has a mapped global range of about 58,000 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.