Pale-billed woodpecker
The pale-billed woodpecker ("Campephilus guatemalensis") is a very large woodpecker that is a resident breeding bird from northern Mexico to western Panama. Description. The pale-billed woodpecker is long and weighs . It resembles the lineated woodpecker, but is larger and more robust. The adult is mainly black above with a pale bill, bushy crest, and white lines down the shoulders which almost meet in a V on its back. The throat is black and the rest of the underparts are white, heavily barred with black. The male has a red head and crest; the female is  similar, but the crest and throat are black. The female can be distinguished from the lineated woodpecker by the absence of a white facial stripe. This bird has a characteristic drumming with two quick powerful taps. Its calls include nasal rattles and a "" breeding call. Distribution and habitat. This species is found in wet forests and adjacent second growth or semi-open woodland. Its range extends from northern Mexico to western Panama. Behaviour. Two white eggs are laid in an unlined nest hole high in a tree and incubated by both sexes. The young hatch naked and are fed by  both parents. Pale-billed woodpeckers chip out holes, often quite large, while searching out insects in trees. They mainly eat beetle larvae, with some berries, lizards, or other fruit. This bird has been adversely affected by deforestation in parts of its range. Threats and conservation. The pale-billed woodpecker is classified as "Least Concern" by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is currently undergoing a moderate decline in population due to deforestation. Populations in Mexico are listed as "subject to special protection" by the Mexican Official Norm NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010.