Bird Guide

Little Woodpecker vs Striped Woodpecker

Little Woodpecker (Veniliornis passerinus)

Little Woodpecker

Veniliornis passerinus

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The little woodpecker is about 14 to 15 cm (5.5 to 5.9 in) long and weighs 24 to 37 g (0.85 to 1.3 oz). Males and females have the same plumage except on their heads. Males of the nominate subspecies passerinus have a red forehead, crown, and nape with dark feather bases showing through. The female is grayish olive-brown with indistinct white spots where the male is red. Adults of both sexes have a mostly dark brownish-olive face with pale barring on the chin and throat. Their upperparts are mostly bronzy olive-green with red feather tips, and pale barring on the rump.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Little Woodpecker
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Call · Zamora-Chinchipe: 'Cabañas Yankuam' 2 km S Las Orchideas, Nangaritza Valley, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: (c) Renato Bandeira, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Renato Bandeira · cc-by
Striped Woodpecker (Veniliornis lignarius)

Striped Woodpecker

Veniliornis lignarius

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The striped woodpecker is 15 to 16 cm (5.9 to 6.3 in) long and weighs 35 to 39 g (1.2 to 1.4 oz). Males and females have the same plumage except on their heads. Adults of both sexes have a black forehead and crown, a blackish hindneck, and a generally white face with a blackish stripe back and down from the eye and a black malar stripe. Males have some streaks or spots on the crown and a red to orange-red nape. The female's nape is black where the male's is red and its crown usually is solid black. Voice: The striped woodpecker makes a loud "peek" and also a "trill as long-distance call".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ben Tubby · CC BY 2.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Little Woodpecker and Striped Woodpecker.