Travel to Eat
Male Chestnut-Colored Woodpecker (Celeus castaneus). Laguna del Lagarto Lodge, Costa Rica
The spectacular Chestnut-Colored Woodpecker (Celeus castaneus) occurs from southern Mexico to extreme northwestern Panama. I have to say, this is the most beautiful woodpecker and possibly the most beautiful bird I have ever seen. This is a medium sized crested Woodpecker, 8.5 inches (21.5–24 cm) long and weighs 2.8–3.7 oz (80–105 gm). Overall, as you can see, the bird is bright chestnut-brown. The crest is a paler light rufous-brown, the underparts and back have extensive black chevron-shaped scaling. The male has a red patch on the cheeks that extends around the eyes. The female lacks the red cheek patch. The wing-tips and tail are black. The Chestnut-Colored Woodpecker primarily feeds on ants and termites. Less commonly, it also consumes fruit although the ones I saw did not approach the feeder with bananas.
Male Chestnut-Colored Woodpecker (Celeus castaneus). Laguna del Lagarto Lodge, Costa Rica
The spectacular Chestnut-Colored Woodpecker (Celeus castaneus) occurs from southern Mexico to extreme northwestern Panama. I have to say, this is the most beautiful woodpecker and possibly the most beautiful bird I have ever seen. This is a medium sized crested Woodpecker, 8.5 inches (21.5–24 cm) long and weighs 2.8–3.7 oz (80–105 gm). Overall, as you can see, the bird is bright chestnut-brown. The crest is a paler light rufous-brown, the underparts and back have extensive black chevron-shaped scaling. The male has a red patch on the cheeks that extends around the eyes. The female lacks the red cheek patch. The wing-tips and tail are black. The Chestnut-Colored Woodpecker primarily feeds on ants and termites. Less commonly, it also consumes fruit although the ones I saw did not approach the feeder with bananas.