Golden-spangled Piculet

About the Golden-spangled Piculet

The golden-spangled piculet (Picumnus exilis) is a species of bird in subfamily Picumninae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World assign these six subspecies to the golden-spangled piculet:

P. e. clarus Zimmer, J.T. & Phelps, W.H., 1946 P. e. undulatus Hargitt, 1889 P. e. buffonii Lafresnaye, 1845 P. e. pernambucensis Zimmer, J.T., 1947 P. e. alegriae Hellmayr, 1929 P. e. exilis (Lichtenstein, M.H.C., 1823)

However, the Clements taxonomy recognizes only four subspecies. It includes P. e. clarus within P. e. undulatus and P. e. alegriae within P. e. buffonii. Subspecies P. e. undulatus and P. e. buffonii were treated as separate species in the early 20th century.

This article follows the six-subspecies model. 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.... Wikipedia →