Bird Guide

Little Woodpecker vs White-spotted Woodpecker

Little Woodpecker (Veniliornis passerinus)

Little Woodpecker

Veniliornis passerinus

Small32 gForest

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
White-spotted Woodpecker (Veniliornis spilogaster)

White-spotted Woodpecker

Veniliornis spilogaster

Small40 gForest

The white-spotted woodpecker is 16 to 19.5 cm (6.3 to 7.7 in) long and weighs 35 to 45 g (1.2 to 1.6 oz). Males and females have the same plumage except on their heads. Males have a buffy to olive forehead, a blackish brown crown with very narrow red streaks, and an olive-green hindneck. The female has an olive-brown crown with fine white spots. Adults of both sexes have a mostly brownish face with a thin white supercilium, a thin white "moustache", and white speckles throughout. Their upperparts are mostly olive-green with yellowish to white feather edges that view as bars.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom · 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 White-spotted Woodpecker.