Bird Guide

Golden-fronted Woodpecker vs Red-headed Woodpecker

Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons)

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Melanerpes aurifrons

Medium81 gShrubland

The golden-fronted woodpecker is 22 to 26 cm (8.7 to 10 in) long and weighs 65 to 102 g (2.3 to 3.6 oz). Males and females have the same plumage except for the pattern on their heads. Adult males have a red crown and a golden orange to yellow nape with a gap between them; females have a grayish crown and a paler yellow nape. On adults of both sexes the rest of the head is various shades of gray. Their upperparts are mostly barred black and white, with white uppertail coverts that have a few black spots. Their flight feathers are black with variable amounts of white on the primaries.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Tommy Andriollo · CC BY 4.0
Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)

Red-headed Woodpecker

Melanerpes erythrocephalus

Medium72 gForest

Adults are distinctly tricolored, with a black back and tail, a white belly and rump, and a red head and neck. The wings are black with white secondary remiges. Adult males and females are identical in plumage. Juveniles have similar markings, but their heads are grey. Red-headed woodpeckers are entirely crimson above their shoulders. These are mid-sized woodpeckers. Both sexes measure from 19 to 25 cm (7.5 to 9.8 in) in length, with a wingspan of 42.5 cm (16.7 in). They weigh from 56 to 97 g (2.0 to 3.4 oz), with an average of 76 g (2.7 oz). Each wing measures 12.7–15 cm (5.0–5.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Jonathon Jongsma · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: David Menke · Public domain

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Golden-fronted Woodpecker and Red-headed Woodpecker.