Pale-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus guatemalensis guatemalensis)

26 January 2009, Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica This was a very distant record shot. This large, spectacular woodpecker is in the same genus as the near mythic Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis). This is a male with the entire head and crest red. Females are similar but have a black crest. This species has seriously declined in areas where the forests have been cut. Three races recognized, this being the most southerly, but differences are slight. Panasonic DMC-LZ5 / Nikon FieldScope 3 / 30X WA hand-held (no adapter)