Yucatan Woodpecker

Overview

The Yucatan woodpecker, also known as the red-vented woodpecker, is a species of bird in the family Picidae that is endemic to Central America. It is currently classified as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Adults measure 17 cm (6.7 in) in length and feature light gray faces and underparts, with black and white barred patterns on the back, wings, and tail.
• Males possess a red cap extending from the eye to the nape, while the red cap in females is confined to the occipital area.
• Yellow feathers surround the base of the bill, and there may be a yellowish tinge to the belly and a red wash to the vent.
• Distinguished from the similar golden-fronted woodpecker by a smaller body, shorter beak, and a silvery appearance from a distance rather than blackish.

Habitat

The species ranges across the Yucatán Peninsula, Belize, northeastern Guatemala, and offshore islands including Cozumel and Guanaja. It inhabits subtropical or tropical dry forests, dry shrubland, and heavily degraded former forests, favouring clearings and woodland edges as well as coastal scrub.

Did you know?

The Yucatan woodpecker is notoriously difficult to distinguish from the much more common golden-fronted woodpecker in the field, though the latter has reddish feathers at the bill base and a blackish back appearance compared to the Yucatan woodpecker's yellow bill base and silvery back.