See text Celeus is a genus of bird in the woodpecker family, Picidae, found in tropical and subtropical forests and woodlands of Central and South America.

[2][3] The species in the genus are medium-sized, 19–32 cm (7.5–12.6 in) in length (with chestnut woodpecker (Celeus elegans) the longest), and weigh between 63 and 172 g (2.2 and 6.1 oz).

The feet, tail, tongue and bill of the birds in the genus are adapted for the specialised resources required for its survival and reproduction (for example breeding sites and large food supplies).

[5] The type species was subsequently designated as the blond-crested woodpecker (Celeus flavescens) by the English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1840.

Head markings were the main diagnostic feature for taxonomy until recent molecular phylogenetic analysis brought changes to the species list.

Benz and Robbins (2011) in their DNA analysis of this genus found the species C. loricatus - C. torquatus as basal taxa.

[10] Recent DNA analysis placed the rufous woodpecker, previously thought to belong to Celeus, in Micropternus brachyurus.

[16] An example of a woodpecker fossil, Bathoceleus hyphalus, was found in 1959 in the Bahamas in a limestone Pleistocene sinkhole, and is believed to be the earliest recorded North American Picidae dated at 2.588 – 0.012 mya.

Quaternary environmental changes are thought to be responsible for the relatively recent gene flow of this genus and for the shallow genetic structures of the remaining Celeus sister taxa with some of the species capable of dispersal to form allopatric, or isolated, communities.

[18] Corridors may have opened up in the last glacial period (21 ka years before the present) that may have enabled westward movement of species in this genus.

[4] The feet are zygodactyl, with scansorial abilities, and therefore adapted to climbing vertical surfaces, however, they are not as specialised as other woodpeckers for this purpose.

[4] [28] Head crests are bushy, shaggy or peaked in typical woodpecker style and, along with flight and body feathers, are chestnut colours of brown, black and cream (some almost yellow).

[4] Plumage convergence has been noted in divergent lineages possibly as a form of territorial mimicry but no real conclusions have been made as yet.

[14] Diet varies between species but may include arthropods, larvae of wood boring insects, ants and termites, plant material, fruit and berries, nectar and sap.

[4] Feeding maneuvers include probing using the beak and tongue, pecking for exploration and excavation, chiseling, prying or levering to obtain food.

Weather protected cavity roosts, and, a stable supply of ants and bark insects make feeding throughout the year possible.

[4] Celeus will interact with other species usually through defending nests, but also as a means of increasing foraging success.

Courtship may commence before completion of the nest with breeding season (notably different for each species) and can range between 2–6 months.

Male contribution to nest making and brood rearing has made multi-nest polygamy difficult for this genus that is essentially monogamous.

Most Celeus, like others in the woodpecker family, have the key feature of being able to excavate a hole, for a nest, from living or newly dead hard wood trees with soft centres.

The forces produced during beak pounding and drumming, at high-speed acceleration and decelerations, are thought to be offset by a number of factors within the bill and skull.

Each Celeus species has different song types, with structure and note compositions highly simplistic.

Calls range from low to loud whistling of the C. grammicus, high pitched laughing of the C. flavus, to parrot like screeches of the C. elegans.

Some species of Celeus have been noted to adopt a posture of bill pointing possibly directed at an opponent.

[4] Use of anvils and tools, by Celeus, for preparation and storage of food is thought to give this genus similar cognitive skills to parrots.

Humans have had a large impact on this genus through extensive habitat degradation and loss and early specimen collections which may have led to declining populations.