Andean Flicker

About the Andean Flicker

The Andean flicker (Colaptes rupicola) is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru. The Andean flicker was for a time placed in genus Soroplex that was later merged into Colaptes. It and the Chilean flicker (C. pitius) are sister species.

The American Ornithological Society, the International Ornithological Committee, and the Clements taxonomy assign three subspecies to the Andean flicker: the nominate C. r. rupicola (D'Orbigny, 1840), C. r. cinereicapillus (Reichenbach, 1854), and C. r. puna (Cabanis, 1883).

Both C. r. cinereicapillus and C. r. puna have at one time been treated as separate species. BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World includes puna with the nominate as the "southern Andean flicker" and treats cinereicapillus as the separate species "northern Andean flicker".

This article follows the three-subspecies model. The Andean flicker is about 32 cm (13 in) long. Males and females have the same plumage except on their heads. Adult males of the nominate subspecies are dark slate gray from forehead to hindneck; the... Wikipedia →