Lita Woodpecker

About the Lita Woodpecker

The Lita woodpecker (Piculus litae) is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador. The Lita woodpecker was originally described as Chloronerpes litae. Since its inclusion in Piculus it has at times been considered conspecific with the rufous-winged woodpecker (P. simplex), the stripe-cheeked woodpecker (P. callopterus), and the white-throated woodpecker (P. leucolaemus); the four may form a superspecies. It and just the white-throated woodpecker have also been treated as conspecific. The Lita woodpecker is monotypic.

The Lita woodpecker is about 17 to 18 cm (6.7 to 7.1 in) long. Males and females have the same plumage except on their heads. Males are red from forehead to hindneck and very widely on the malar (cheek); the rest of the face is golden-yellow. The female has red only on the nape and malar but is otherwise the same as the male. Adults of both sexes have a dusky olive chin and throat that appear blackish at a distance. Their upperparts are olive-yellow to bronze-green with a slightly darker rump. Their flight feathers are mostly dark brown with olive on the outer... Wikipedia →