Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela.
Population
Estimated population is 500,000 - 4,999,999 (2010).
Golden-olive Woodpecker (Colaptes rubiginosus) [XC271863]
by Peter Boesman from Brownsberg, Brokopondo, Suriname (call)
Golden-olive Woodpecker (Colaptes rubiginosus) [XC193801]
by Joe Klaiber from Reserva La Romera, Sabaneta, Antioquia, Colombia (song, tamborileo)
Subspecies
Forms a superspecies with Grey-crowned Woodpecker (Colaptes auricularis), and sometimes regarded as conspecific. Northern subspecies aeruginosus and yucatanensis possibly represent a distinct species, apparently differing in vocalizations. Considerable individual variation in coloration and pattern, making defining and delimitation of subspecies difficult. Further study is required. Additional named subspecies include maximus (eastern and central Pacific highlands of south-eastern Mexico and Guatemala), differens (Pacific slope of Guatemala), uropygialis (mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama), and in Colombia pacificus (western Andes), michaelis (south-eastern Nariño), palmitae (western slope of eastern Andes in north) and nuchalis (eastern slope of Andes near Ecuador border), all of which fall within range of variation of other subspecies.
The following 19 subspecies are recognised:
aeruginosus (Swainson, 1820) - Eastern Mexico (Tamaulipas to Veracruz). Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Bronze-winged Woodpecker (Colaptes aeruginosus).
yucatanensis (Cabot, S, 1844) - Southern Mexico (from Oaxaca) south to western Panama.
alleni (Bangs, 1902) - Northern Colombia (Santa Marta area).