The golden-olive woodpecker (Colaptes rubiginosus ) is a resident breeding bird from Mexico south and east to Guyana, northwest Argentina, as well as Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. It was formerly placed in the genus Piculus. The scientific name rubiginosus means "full of rust", describing the color of the bird's wings and back.
The golden-olive woodpecker is 20 cm (7.9 in) long and weighs 75 g (2.6 oz). Adults are mainly golden olive above with some barring on the tail. The forecrown is grey and the hindcrown red. The face is yellow-white and the underparts are barred black and yellowish. The bill is black. Adult males have a red moustachial strip which is lacking in the female.
The habitat of this woodpecker is forests, more open woodlands and cultivation. It is most common in the mountains. Two or three white eggs are laid in a nest hole in a tree and incubated by both sexes. The young are fed by regurgitation.
Due to its habitat-mainly montane forests, separated by large rivers-it has evolved into about 20 subspecies. P. r. tobagensis from Tobago is larger and heavier-billed than P. r. trinitatis from Trinidad. Some of the South American subspecies have only very narrow yellow barring on the underparts and the Andean subspecies show a pale eye ring.
Golden-olive woodpeckers mainly eat insects, including ants and beetle larvae, with some fruit and berries. The call of this bird is a loud wheep.
