Photo: Hector Bottai / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Varzea Piculet
Picumnus varzeae
Varzea Piculet (Picumnus varzeae) — 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 Varzea Piculet (Picumnus varzeae) is a member of the Picidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 11.5 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Close to qualifying for a threatened category in the near future.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Piciformes
- Family Picidae Woodpeckers
- Genus Picumnus
- Species varzeae
Quick facts
- Weight
- 11.5 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Picidae
- Order
- Piciformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Varzea 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 Varzea Piculet is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Varzea Piculet (Picumnus varzeae) is a species of bird in the Picidae family, part of the order Piciformes. It occurs naturally across South America. Its distribution covers SA c Amazonia.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 11.5 g, with a wing length of about 5.1 cm and a tail of around 3.1 cm.
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened. That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 190,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Varzea Piculet?
The Varzea Piculet is a very small bird that weighs around 11.5 g.
Where does the Varzea Piculet live?
The Varzea Piculet is found across South America with a range covering SA c Amazonia, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Varzea Piculet belong to?
The Varzea Piculet (Picumnus varzeae) belongs to the Picidae family, in the order Piciformes.
What does the Varzea Piculet eat?
The Varzea Piculet is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Varzea Piculet migrate?
The Varzea Piculet is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Varzea Piculet endangered?
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
What sound does the Varzea Piculet make?
1 real field recording of the Varzea 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 Varzea Piculet's range?
The Varzea Piculet has a mapped global range of about 190,000 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.