- Melanerpes pucherani
Identification
18.5 cm (7¼")
- Black upperparts
- White barring on back
- White spotting on wings
- White rump
- Black tail with some white barring
- Underparts pale buff-olive
- Red central belly
- Black patch through eyes and on cheeks
- Yellow forehead
- Red nape
- Crown: red in the male and black in the female
Young birds are duller, have less white above and less red on the belly.
Distribution
Central and South America
Central America: South-east Mexico (Veracruz, Chiapas), Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama
South America: Colombia to westernEcuador
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Upper and middle levels of humid forests, scattered tall trees, old second growth and roadside trees around farms, woodlands and gardens
Behaviour
Breeding
The nest is an unlined hole high up in a dead tree. The clutch of 2-4 glossy white eggs is incubated by both adults.
Diet
The diet consists mostly of insects, but fruit and nectar are also eaten.
Vocalisation
The call is a rattling krrrrrl.
Both sexes can be heard drumming.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Wikipedia contributors. (2018, February 14). Black-cheeked woodpecker. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:05, January 6, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black-cheeked_woodpecker&oldid=825570846
- Winkler, H. & Christie, D.A. (2019). Black-cheeked Woodpecker (Melanerpes pucherani). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/56160 on 6 January 2019).
- Black-cheeked Woodpecker (Melanerpes pucherani), In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. retrieved from Neotropical Birds Online: https://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/Species-Account/nb/species/blcwoo1
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Black-cheeked Woodpecker. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 13 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black-cheeked_Woodpecker
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
