The Story
I photographed this Red-crowned Woodpecker (Melanerpes rubricapillus) at Finca Ecoturística San Javier, in the vereda Chucuní near Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia. It is found in Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and Tobago, mostly from sea level to about 1,700 meters, and it stays in its range all year. Its flight feathers are black with white bars throughout, a pattern that shows when it opens its wings. Its diet includes a large amount of fruit, including papayas and bananas, along with insects, spiders and nectar. IUCN lists it as Least Concern. It is a year-round resident throughout its range.
I photographed him with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11, at 1/90 sec, f/11, ISO 1600, −0.5 EV. Finca San Javier offers guided birding as part of its work to help conserve tropical dry forest.
©2022 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