Bird Guide

Golden-spangled Piculet vs Lafresnaye's Piculet

Golden-spangled Piculet (Picumnus exilis)

Golden-spangled Piculet

Picumnus exilis

Tiny9 gForest

The golden-spangled piculet is 9 to 10 cm (3.5 to 3.9 in) long and weighs 8.5 to 10 g (0.30 to 0.35 oz). Adult males of the nominate subspecies P. e. exilis have a black cap and nape, with red spots on the forehead and white spots on the rest. Their face is yellowish white with dark speckles, bare grayish skin around the eye, and a pale stripe behind the eye. Their upperparts are olive green with darker centers to the feathers. Their primaries and secondaries are brownish green with yellow-green edges. Their wing coverts are olive green with narrow white edges and black-edged white tips. Voice: The golden-spangled piculet's song has been described as "tsilit, tsirrrr" and an "extr. high, thin 'see see suw'."

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: (c) Helio Lourencini, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Helio Lourencini · cc-by
Lafresnaye's Piculet (Picumnus lafresnayi)

Lafresnaye's Piculet

Picumnus lafresnayi

Tiny9 gForest

Lafresnaye's piculet is 9 to 10 cm (3.5 to 3.9 in) long and weighs 9 to 10 g (0.32 to 0.35 oz). Adult males of the nominate subspecies P. l. lafresnayi have a dark olive-brown cap with red spots on the forehead and whitish ones on the rest of it and the nape. Their face is grayish buff with brown streaks or spots and a pale stripe behind the eye. Their upperparts are dark green or brownish green with yellowish green bars. The upper side of their tail is blackish; the innermost pair of feathers have mostly white inner webs and the outer three pairs have a large white area near the tip. Voice: Lafresnaye's piculet is not highly vocal, but does occasionally make a "high-pitched 'tseeyt, tsit'." The call has also been described as an "extr. high 'see-see'."

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Lafresnaye's Piculet
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Call · Zamora-Chinchipe: SE Zumba: turnoff to Chito on La Chonta - El Chorro road, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: David F. Belmonte · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Golden-spangled Piculet and Lafresnaye's Piculet.