Bird Guide

Blond-crested Woodpecker vs Cream-colored Woodpecker

Blond-crested Woodpecker (Celeus flavescens)

Blond-crested Woodpecker

Celeus flavescens

Medium139 gForest

The blond-crested woodpecker is about 27 to 30 cm (11 to 12 in) long. The nominate subspecies weighs 110 to 165 g (3.9 to 5.8 oz). Males of both subspecies have a wide bright red malar area and cheek; sometimes it extends around the eye and occasionally includes the lower forehead; females have black streaks instead of red on the malar and cheek and no red elsewhere. In the nominate subspecies, adults of both sexes have a pale creamy buff to yellowish white head including the long, pointed crest, chin, and throat. Often the side of the neck has black streaks.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Fabrício Mil Homens Riella · CC BY 4.0
Cream-colored Woodpecker (Celeus flavus)

Cream-colored Woodpecker

Celeus flavus

Medium147 gForest

The cream-colored woodpecker is about 24 to 27 cm (9.4 to 11 in) long. The nominate subspecies weighs 95 to 131 g (3.4 to 4.6 oz) and C.f. subflavus about 200 g (7.1 oz). All of the subspecies are mostly yellowish with a long crest and a black tail. The "yellowish" varies among individuals from pale creamy yellow to sulfur-yellow and occasionally is cinnamon-white. Adult males have a bright red malar stripe; females have no red. The adult's bill is yellowish, their iris red or red-brown, and their legs dark gray to green-gray. Voice: The cream-colored woodpecker makes "a high-pitched laugh, 'wutchuk kee-hoo-hoo-hoo'", also described as "pueer, pueer, purr, paw". Other calls include "kiu-kiu-kiu-kiu" and "whéejah"; the latter is used in encounters with others of its species and may be repeated.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Rajan Rao · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Blond-crested Woodpecker and Cream-colored Woodpecker.