{"id":234377,"date":"2026-02-11T13:48:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T18:48:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/?post_type=fauna&#038;p=234377"},"modified":"2026-02-11T13:48:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T18:48:19","slug":"golden-olive-woodpecker","status":"publish","type":"fauna","link":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/faune-2\/golden-olive-woodpecker\/","title":{"rendered":"Golden-olive Woodpecker"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Colaptes rubiginosus<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":258628,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":""},"collection":[],"country":[11],"fauna-group":[27543],"fauna-type":[27217],"class_list":["post-234377","fauna","type-fauna","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","country-colombia","fauna-group-woodpeckers","fauna-type-birds"],"acf":{"scientific_name":"Colaptes rubiginosus","animal_description":"The Golden-olive Woodpecker (*Colaptes rubiginosus*) is a vibrant gem of the Neotropical highlands, distinguished by its lustrous, bronze-to-olive upperparts that shimmer with a metallic sheen. This medium-sized bird features a sophisticated pattern of dark and pale barring across its breast, a slate-grey crown, and a brilliant crimson patch at the nape of its neck, with males sporting a bold red \"mustache\" or malar stripe. While many woodpeckers are strictly arboreal, the Golden-olive is notably versatile, frequently descending from the canopy to the forest floor to forage for ants and termites with its specialized, long tongue. Whether it is clinging to a mossy trunk or flashing its golden wings in flight, this woodpecker is a captivating example of avian beauty and specialized adaptation across the diverse landscapes of Central and South America.","animal_habitat":"This species spans a vast geographical range from eastern Mexico and Central America through northwestern South America, extending as far south as Bolivia and northwestern Argentina. It is also native to the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. Across this territory, it inhabits a wide elevational gradient, occurring from coastal lowlands up to montane regions and cloud forests as high as 3,000 meters.\n\nIt primarily occupies humid evergreen forests, woodland edges, and semi-open landscapes such as clearings and shade-grown coffee plantations. While it favors the middle and upper stories of the forest canopy, it is highly adaptable and can frequently be found in mature secondary growth, suburban gardens, and parks where suitable trees are present for foraging.","animal_behavior_and_reproduction":"Typically maintaining a monogamous social structure, these birds are frequently observed in pairs or small family groups as they forage for insects and fruit. During the breeding season, they exhibit territorial behavior, using rhythmic drumming and vocalizations to defend their nesting sites. Both members of a pair participate in excavating a nesting cavity, which is usually situated in a dead tree or palm at varying heights.\n\nA typical clutch consists of two to four white eggs, which both parents take turns incubating. This shared responsibility extends to the rearing phase, where both the male and female actively provision the chicks with a diet of larvae and ants. This biparental care is a critical reproductive strategy that ensures the survival of the young until they fledge, after which the family may join mixed-species foraging flocks during the non-breeding months.","diet":"The Golden-olive Woodpecker is primarily an insectivore, with a diet heavily centered on ants, termites, and the larvae of wood-boring beetles. Unlike some woodpeckers that focus solely on drilling into deep wood, this species is a versatile forager that gleans insects from the surfaces of branches, moss, and epiphytes, often moving through the middle and upper levels of the forest canopy. An intriguing aspect of its feeding strategy is its supplemental intake of various small fruits and berries, showcasing a degree of omnivory that helps it thrive in diverse habitats. To capture its prey, it utilizes a remarkably long, sticky tongue that can reach deep into crevices, and it is frequently observed participating in mixed-species foraging flocks, a behavior that likely increases its efficiency in locating active insect colonies.","colors":"The Golden-olive Woodpecker features golden-olive upperparts and a yellowish breast marked with dense, dark horizontal bars. Its head displays a grey crown, a bright red nape, and a pale face, with males possessing a distinctive red malar stripe. These earthy green tones provide effective camouflage, allowing the bird to blend seamlessly against mossy bark and dense tropical foliage.","fun_facts":"This woodpecker is a ground-foraging specialist that frequently descends from the canopy to raid ant hills using its exceptionally long, sticky tongue. While many of its relatives focus strictly on wood-boring larvae, this species has a notable \"sweet tooth\" for berries and fruit, often hanging acrobatically upside down to reach them. It is also an opportunistic nester that may skip the labor of drilling into solid wood by moving directly into abandoned termite mounds. Beyond its solitary work, it often serves as a social \"sentinel\" in mixed-species flocks, using its piercing, rhythmic calls to alert other birds to approaching predators.","conservation_status_&_efforts":"Currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, this species maintains an extremely large range, though its overall population trend is considered to be decreasing. The primary threats stem from widespread habitat loss and degradation caused by deforestation, logging, and agricultural expansion. These activities fragment the humid forests and woodlands it inhabits, significantly reducing the availability of mature trees necessary for nesting and foraging.\n\nNo species-specific conservation programs are currently active, as the bird remains relatively common across much of its distribution. Instead, protection efforts rely on broader regional initiatives focused on forest preservation and the management of established protected areas throughout Central and South America. Continued monitoring is essential to track the long-term impacts of ongoing habitat conversion and ensure that population declines do not reach critical thresholds.","endemic":false,"conservation_status":"Least Concern","ebird_link":{"url":"https:\/\/ebird.org\/species\/goowoo1","title":"View on Ebird","target":"_blank"},"animal_related_page":{"url":"https:\/\/animalia.bio\/golden-olive-woodpecker","title":"View on Animalia","target":"_blank"},"fauna_family":"Picidae","fauna_known_nicknames":"Carpintero oliv\u00e1ceo, Bronze-winged Woodpecker","fauna_average_length":"20\u201323 cm \/ 7.9\u20139.1 in","fauna_average_weight":"68\u201395 g \/ 2.4\u20133.4 oz","fauna_wingspan":"35\u201340 cm \/ 13.8\u201315.7 in","fauna_key_physical_feature":"Golden-olive or bronze-green upperparts with a red crown and nape","fauna_primary_diet":"Insectivore (primarily ants and termites)","fauna_geographical_range":"Southern Mexico through Central America to Northwest Argentina and Trinidad","fauna_preferred_habitat":"Humid montane forests, cloud forests, and forest edges","fauna_social_structure":"Solitary or in pairs","fauna_breeding_site":"Excavated tree cavities","fauna_conservation_status":"Least Concern (LC)","fauna_population_trend":"Decreasing","fauna_spanish_name":"Carpintero oliv\u00e1ceo","fauna_french_name":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fauna\/234377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fauna"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/fauna"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/258628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"collection","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/collection?post=234377"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=234377"},{"taxonomy":"fauna-group","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fauna-group?post=234377"},{"taxonomy":"fauna-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fauna-type?post=234377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}