Magellanic Woodpecker

The Magellanic woodpecker (Campephilus magellanicus) is the biggest woodpecker in South America and one of the largest in the world. This iconic bird inhabits exclusively on mature Nothofagus forest along the Andes mountain range in Patagonia.

The Magellanic woodpecker is 36 to 45 cm in length. Males of this species weigh 312-363 g and females weigh 276-312 g. This species is mainly pure black, with a white wing patch and a grey, chisel-like beak. Males have a crimson head and crest. Females have a mainly black head, but there is an area of red coloration near the base of the bill. Juvenile Magellanic woodpeckers resemble females of the species, but have a smaller crest and have a browner tinge to their plumage.

They feed mainly on wood-boring grubs, beetles and spiders that parasite both living and dead trees. Commonly they forage on pairs or small groups, they are very active, spending most of the daytime looking for prey. Usually they set at half the height of the tree and from there keep moving up, looking meticulously for parasites. Once those are found they hit the wood violently to get to them. The sight of this is an amazing spectacle by itself. They breed in springtime (October to January), excavating a nest on a tree trunk or taking advantage of a previous one. They are monogamous, sharing all duties in nest-building, incubation, territorial and predator defense and young rearing. Females lay up to four eggs, and incubation last 15 to 17 days.
Read less