The Story
I photographed this Red-crowned Woodpecker (Melanerpes rubricapillus) at Finca Ecoturística San Javier, in the vereda Chucuní near Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia. Its diet includes a lot of fruit and berries, including cultivated ones like papayas and bananas. Both sexes dig the nest hole, typically in a large tree trunk or branch or in a large cactus, and fence posts are used too. It is a year-round resident throughout its range. IUCN lists it as Least Concern. Its black flight feathers are barred with white throughout.
I photographed it with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11, at 1/6000 sec, f/11, ISO 3200. Finca San Javier offers guided birding as part of its work to help conserve the tropical dry forest of the Chucuní area.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Red-crowned Woodpecker (Melanerpes rubricapillus) belongs to the family Picidae (Woodpeckers) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2020), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List