The Story
I photographed this Yellow-tufted Woodpecker (Melanerpes cruentatus) at La Macarena, Meta, Colombia. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. It lives in open humid forest, secondary forest and burned areas with standing dead trees. It is social and often forages in groups. The male has a red forecrown, which is black on the female. La Macarena is part of the Sierra de la Macarena and of the Macarena Special Management Area, which brings together several protected areas. The Sierra de la Macarena is home to about 420 bird species, along with eight species of primates.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200. IUCN lists the Yellow-tufted Woodpecker as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Yellow-tufted Woodpecker (Melanerpes cruentatus) 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 2024), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List