I report observations of fruit consumption by Magellanic Woodpeckers (Campephilus magellanicus) and an opportunistic predation on a lizard (Liolaemus sp.) by an adult male. During normal feeding activities, the woodpecker snatched from a bark crevice of a lenga (Nothofagus pumilio) tree a lizard, which he then beat until stunned or dead, before flying off carrying the reptile. Frugivory, although undocumented for this species, is widespread among picids. Conversely, this apparently first observation of a Magellanic Woodpecker preying on another vertebrate adds to a few known cases of vertebrate predation by woodpeckers.
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1 June 2003
Magellanic Woodpecker Frugivory and Predation on a Lizard
Valeria Ojeda
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