Helmeted woodpecker

The helmeted woodpecker (Celeus galeatus) is a Vulnerable species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.

The helmeted woodpecker is about 25 cm (9.8 in) long with a 31.5 to 35 mm (1.2 to 1.4 in) bill, and weighs about 124 to 150 g (4.4 to 5.3 oz). Both sexes have a cinnamon face with a long red crest. The sexes differ only on their heads: Adult males have a red malar patch that extends down to the sides of the throat and around the back of the head to meet the crest. Females have the red crest but no other red on their head. Both sexes have a black throat and hindneck with a vertical white stripe between them on the side of the neck. Their upper back is black or brownish black becoming buff or creamy on their lower back. Their uppertail coverts are cream-buff and extend over half the length of the tail. Their wings are brownish black with cinnamon bases on some flight feathers. Their tail is black. Their lower throat and upper breast are black spotted with cinnamon and the rest of their underparts are buffy white with black bars that are widest on the breast. Their bill is ivory with a gray or blue-gray base, their iris brown, and their legs dark gray. Juveniles resemble adults but are browner with less red on their crown, gray ear coverts, and more extensive barring.

The helmeted woodpecker resembles two larger woodpeckers, the lineated woodpecker (Dryocopus lineatus) and the robust woodpecker (Campephilus robustus). This apparent mimicry might reduce aggression toward the smaller helmeted woodpecker. Their genetic distance means that the resemblances "probably result from convergence rather than phylogenetic affinity."