Black-cheeked woodpecker
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Melanerpes pucherani

The black-cheeked woodpecker (Melanerpes pucherani ) is a resident breeding bird from southeastern Mexico south to western Ecuador.

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This woodpecker occurs in the higher levels of wet forests, semi-open woodland and old second growth. It nests in an unlined hole 6–30 m (20–98 ft) high in a dead tree. The clutch is two to four glossy white eggs, incubated by both sexes.

The binomial commemorates the French zoologist Jacques Pucheran.

The black-cheeked woodpecker feeds on insects, but will take substantial quantities of fruit and nectar.

This common and conspicuous species gives a rattling krrrrrl call and both sexes drum on territory.

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Appearance

The adult is 18.5 cm (7.3 in) long and weighs 63 g (2.2 oz). It has black upperparts with white barring on the back, white spotting on the wings and a white rump. The tail is black with some white barring, and the underparts are pale buff-olive with a red central belly. There is a black patch through the eyes and on the cheeks, a yellow forehead, and a red nape. The crown is red in the male and black in the female. Young birds are duller, have less white above and less red on the belly.

Black-cheeked woodpecker habitat map
Black-cheeked woodpecker
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Habits and Lifestyle

Lifestyle
Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

Population

References

1. Black-cheeked woodpecker Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-cheeked_woodpecker
2. Black-cheeked woodpecker on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22680816/152197151
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/351146

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