How big is a Helmeted Woodpecker?

The Helmeted Woodpecker is a medium sized bird weighing about 124 g.

Where can you see a Helmeted Woodpecker?

The Helmeted Woodpecker occurs in 4 countries, including Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.

What birds look similar to a Helmeted Woodpecker?

The Helmeted Woodpecker is most easily confused with the Kaempfer's Woodpecker, the Rufous-headed Woodpecker and the Ochre-backed Woodpecker.

Is the Helmeted Woodpecker endangered?

The Helmeted Woodpecker is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

Helmeted Woodpecker

Celeus galeatus

Woodpeckers · Piciformes · Rare

The Helmeted Woodpecker (Celeus galeatus) is a rare woodpecker found in 4 countries, weighing about 124 g. The helmeted woodpecker is a Vulnerable species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae.

VulnerableRareEats invertebratesforestcavity nest124 g

Helmeted Woodpecker (Celeus galeatus), photo 1 — Photo: Marcelo Schmidt Roberti · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Helmeted Woodpecker (Celeus galeatus), photo 2 — Photo: vinicius_s_domingues · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Helmeted Woodpecker (Celeus galeatus), photo 3 — Photo: Nathan Ruser · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Helmeted Woodpecker (Celeus galeatus), photo 4 — Photo: Nicolas Olejnik · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Helmeted Woodpecker (Celeus galeatus), photo 5 — Photo: Hugo Hulsberg · http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Helmeted Woodpecker (Celeus galeatus), photo 6 — Photo: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0

Helmeted Woodpecker (Celeus galeatus), photo 7 — Photo: Carlos Henrique Luz Nunes de Almeida · CC BY 3.0

Helmeted Woodpecker (Celeus galeatus), photo 8 — Photo: Biodiversity Heritage Library · Public domain

Helmeted Woodpecker (Celeus galeatus), photo 9 — Photo: (c) Nathan Ruser, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Helmeted Woodpecker (Celeus galeatus), photo 10 — Photo: no rights reserved · CC0

About the Helmeted Woodpecker

The helmeted woodpecker is a Vulnerable species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

How to identify it

The helmeted woodpecker is about 25 cm (9.8 in) long with a 31.5 to 35 mm (1.2 to 1.4 in) bill, and weighs about 124 to 150 g (4.4 to 5.3 oz). Both sexes have a cinnamon face with a long red crest. The sexes differ only on their heads: Adult males have a red malar patch that extends down to the sides of the throat and around the back of the head to meet the crest. Females have the red crest but no other red on their head. Both sexes have a black throat and hindneck with a vertical white stripe between them on the side of the neck.

Where it lives

Brazil Argentina Paraguay

Recorded as a rare visitor in Canada.

When to see it

Best months: January, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, with peak activity in August. It is a variable species across most of its range.

Easily confused with

Quick questions

How do you identify a Helmeted Woodpecker?: The helmeted woodpecker is about 25 cm (9.8 in) long with a 31.5 to 35 mm (1.2 to 1.4 in) bill, and weighs about 124 to 150 g (4.4 to 5.3 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is a Helmeted Woodpecker?: The Helmeted Woodpecker is a medium sized bird weighing about 124 g.
Where can you see a Helmeted Woodpecker?: The Helmeted Woodpecker occurs in 4 countries, including Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.
What birds look similar to a Helmeted Woodpecker?: The Helmeted Woodpecker is most easily confused with the Kaempfer's Woodpecker, the Rufous-headed Woodpecker and the Ochre-backed Woodpecker.
Is the Helmeted Woodpecker endangered?: The Helmeted Woodpecker is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the Helmeted Woodpecker for real

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