Rufous-winged Woodpecker

Piculus simplex

eBird describes the Rufous-winged Woodpecker this way:  Fairly small woodpecker, overall olive-green with bright red crown and mustache. Barred belly. Female similar to male but shows red only on nape. Both sexes have pale eye. Don’t look for rufous in the wing, it’s very subtle! Found in forests and edges, singly or in pairs.

The Birds of the World website introduces the Rufous-winged Woodpecker with this information:  Rufous-winged Woodpeckers are residents of the humid forests of Central America. They are most often found in the canopy, but also forage at mid levels. Rufous-winged Woodpeckers are usually seen alone, but they sometimes forage in pairs for ants, beetles, or larvae. They give frequent and irregularly-timed taps on tree trunks and a high pitched, nasal deeeah. These pale-eyed woodpeckers are mostly olive green above and barred below. Both males and females have a red head patch which extends to a full crown on the male.

I saw and photographed my first Rufous-winged Woodpecker while walking the trails of La Selva in Costa Rica on the afternoon of February 6, 2023.  I only got a couple of photos and one was sufficient to id this bird.  And an interesting and beautiful bird it was!