Birds
Magellanic Woodpecker
Campephilus magellanicus · also called Magellanic woodpeckers
Drumming loudly across the cool temperate forests of Patagonia, a Magellanic woodpecker carries on as the last surviving giant of its genus, its closest relatives, the ivory-billed and imperial woodpeckers, both extinct or lost to the wild for decades.
Overview
The Magellanic woodpecker, Campephilus magellanicus, is the largest surviving member of its genus, native to forest habitat across southern Chile and Argentina. Its status as the last living giant following the loss of the ivory-billed and imperial woodpeckers, striking red-crested males, and dependence on old-growth Patagonian forest make it one of the most conservation-significant woodpeckers found anywhere in South America.
The last of a line of giants
With both of its closest relatives now extinct or presumed extinct, the Magellanic woodpecker carries the weight of an entire lineage of unusually large woodpeckers, its continued survival in Patagonian old-growth forest all that remains of a once more widespread group.
Status
Near Threatened, having declined due to the loss of old-growth Patagonian forest habitat.
Magellanic Woodpecker: common questions
Is the Magellanic woodpecker related to the extinct ivory-billed and imperial woodpeckers?
Yes, this species belongs to the same genus as the ivory-billed woodpecker and the extinct imperial woodpecker, making it the last surviving giant among these unusually large, closely related woodpeckers.
How can you tell a male Magellanic woodpecker from a female?
Males display a full red head and crest, while females are almost entirely black with a distinctive curled crest instead, a clear difference between the sexes.
Why is the Magellanic woodpecker considered Near Threatened?
This species has declined due to the loss of old-growth Patagonian forest, since it depends on large, mature trees and standing dead wood for both feeding and nesting, resources that become scarce as old forest is cleared.
Where is the Magellanic woodpecker found?
This species is restricted to temperate forest across southern Chile and Argentina, a cooler, more southerly habitat than most of its large relatives historically occupied.