Bird Guide

Black-cheeked Woodpecker vs Lewis's Woodpecker

Black-cheeked Woodpecker (Melanerpes pucherani)

Black-cheeked Woodpecker

Melanerpes pucherani

Medium62 gForest

The black-cheeked woodpecker is 17 to 19 cm (6.7 to 7.5 in) long and weighs 42 to 68 g (1.5 to 2.4 oz). The sexes' plumage is alike except for their head pattern. Adult males have a golden yellow forehead and a red crown and nape. Adult females have a white to buffy white forehead, a black central crown, and a red hindcrown and nape. Both sexes have black around the eye that extends down the side of the neck and a white line behind the eye. Their upper back has black and white bars and their lower back and uppertail coverts are white with a pale buff tinge and sometimes some blackish bars.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Niels Krabbe · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Arthur Chapman · CC BY 2.0
Lewis's Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis)

Lewis's Woodpecker

Melanerpes lewis

Medium106 gWoodland

One of the largest species of American woodpeckers, Lewis's woodpecker can measure up to 10–11 inches (25–28 cm) in length. It is mainly reddish-breasted, blackish-green in color, with a black rump. It has a gray collar and upper breast, with a pinkish belly, and a red face. The wings are much broader than those of other woodpeckers, and it flies at a much more sluggish pace with slow, but even flaps similar to those of a crow. Its calls have a harsh sound relative to other woodpeckers', and it may use a repertoire of several phrases.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Jonathon Jongsma · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Yerrio darius raolika · Public domain

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black-cheeked Woodpecker and Lewis's Woodpecker.