Arrowhead Piculet - Birds of the Guyanas 10

Being relatively new to birding has its advantages: there are a lot of 'first time ever' birds. So it is with the Arrowhead Piculet. Yesterday evening it landed in my garden in the butterfly bush looking for insects. This little woodpecker (10 cm) is a special bird because it's an endemic for Suriname, the only one.

According to some sources its range is from Guyana to French Guyana but other sources dispute that, claiming that its habitat is restricted to Suriname alone. It's still common here, living in the forests along the coastline and in gardens with trees and big bushes. But the status for the arrowhead piculet is now Near Threatened (NT) because of deforestation and its small range.

The arrowhead piculet is not a real first time ever because I saw it once before but I had no idea what it was and it didn't occur to me that it might have been a woodpecker. I also didn't had my camera at hand. But yesterday it showed its woodpecker behaviour. It was all over the butterfly bush pecking and looking for insects. This is a male with a red crown. The female looks similar without the crown.

These piculets often forage in small groups. Just like other woodpeckers they will make their nest by pecking a hole in a soft, rotten tree. It breeds from March till October.

Thanks for visiting my blog and happy birding.