PICAPAUZINHO-BARRADO (AS KNOWN IN BRAZIL)

Picumnus cirratus

The White-Barred Piculet, also known as picapauzinho, pinica-pau, and pica-pau-anão-barrado, in Brazil, is the dwarf among woodpeckers, measuring approximately 3,9 inches and weighing an average of 0,4 ounces. The feathers on the nape often form a small crest. The upper parts are uniformly brown, while the lower parts are densely barred. Its call is a thin, descending "tsirrrr," sometimes prolonged and modulated.

It feeds on larvae and small insects, capturing ants on branches and leaves. It generally lives alone, occasionally accompanying mixed flocks of birds. There are various courtship behaviors between mates and rivals for partners. Males engage in a silent and symbolic fight, where they perch facing each other on opposite sides of a thin stem, tapping their bills toward the opponent's head. Its nest is built on dry and slender branches, where 2 to 4 shiny white eggs are laid.

Common in the interior and edges of tall forests and clearings, it's also found in wooded urban areas. It can be found in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, in the lower Amazon River region up to Maranhão, as well as in the east and south of the country, down to Rio Grande do Sul.