Conservation

Although Golden-naped Woodpecker has a small geographic range, the population is believed to be stable. Consequently the IUCN Red List status for Golden-naped Woodpecker is assessed as Least Concern (BirdLife International 2012).

Habitat degradation and fragmentation occurring in Panama, and to a lesser extent in Costa Rica, are a future threat to this range-restricted woodpecker. In Panama, where the Golden-naped Woodpecker occurs in remnant forest fragments in the western Pacific lowlands, this species is considered to be nationally threatened. The El Chorogo-Palo Blanco Important Bird Area (IBA) is the largest area of intact forest left in these lowlands and contains the best remaining example of the original avifauna of the western Pacific lowlands of Panama.  This IBA is unprotected and threatened by ongoing deforestation. Of the 1000 ha, only 283 been protected to date (Montanez and Angehr 2007).