Golden-cheeked Woodpecker
Melanerpes chrysogenys
This species is remarkably fond of nectar and is frequently seen visiting hummingbird feeders or large tropical flowers.
- Scientific name
- Melanerpes chrysogenys
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Piciformes › Picidae › Melanerpes
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Tropical deciduous forests, arid scrubland, gallery forests, and occasionally urban parks or plantations.
- Diet
- Omnivorous; feeds on insects like ants and beetles, as well as fruits, seeds, and floral nectar.
- Range
- Western Mexico, Sinaloa, Oaxaca, Jalisco, Nayarit
- Size
- 18-21 cm long; 50-80 grams
- Lifespan
- 5-8 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation and the removal of dead standing trees (snags) used for nesting.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and shy. Best viewed through binoculars to avoid disrupting their foraging or nesting. If you find a nesting cavity, maintain a distance of at least 15 meters; if the bird stops its activity to watch you, you are too close.
The golden-cheeked woodpecker ( Melanerpes chrysogenys ) is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is endemic to Mexico, in the western, and southwestern coastal strip on the Pacific Ocean, and the western bordering regions of mountains of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. They are distributed in the coast from Sinaloa to Colima.
Photo: Laura Gaudette, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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