Photo: Francesco Veronesi from Italy / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Yellow-vented Woodpecker
Veniliornis dignus
Yellow-vented Woodpecker (Veniliornis dignus) — 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 Yellow-vented Woodpecker (Veniliornis dignus) is a member of the Picidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 37.6 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 Veniliornis
- Species dignus
Quick facts
- Weight
- 37.6 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 Yellow-vented 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 Yellow-vented Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Yellow-vented Woodpecker (Veniliornis dignus) belongs to the Picidae family of the order Piciformes. Its range spans South America. Its distribution covers SA sw Venezuela to Peru.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 37.6 g, with a wing length of about 9.7 cm and a tail of around 6.1 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 95,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Yellow-vented Woodpecker?
The Yellow-vented Woodpecker is a small bird that weighs around 37.6 g.
Where does the Yellow-vented Woodpecker live?
The Yellow-vented Woodpecker is found across South America with a range covering SA sw Venezuela to Peru, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Yellow-vented Woodpecker belong to?
The Yellow-vented Woodpecker (Veniliornis dignus) belongs to the Picidae family, in the order Piciformes.
What does the Yellow-vented Woodpecker eat?
The Yellow-vented Woodpecker is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Yellow-vented Woodpecker migrate?
The Yellow-vented Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Yellow-vented 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 Yellow-vented Woodpecker make?
1 real field recording of the Yellow-vented Woodpecker — including its drumming — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Yellow-vented Woodpecker's range?
The Yellow-vented Woodpecker has a mapped global range of about 95,000 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.