Bird Guide

Hoffmann's Woodpecker vs Red-crowned Woodpecker

Hoffmann's Woodpecker (Melanerpes hoffmannii)

Hoffmann's Woodpecker

Melanerpes hoffmannii

Medium72 gWoodland

Hoffmann's woodpecker is 18 to 21 cm (7.1 to 8.3 in) long and weighs 62 to 84 g (2.2 to 3.0 oz). The sexes' plumage is alike except for their head pattern. Adult males have a dull white forecrown and supercilium, a bright red crown, and a bright yellow or orange nape. Adult females have a dull white crown and a pale yellow nape. Both sexes' faces and the sides of their throat are drab yellowish gray. Their back and upper rump are barred black and white and the lower rump and uppertail coverts are unbarred white. Their flight feathers are black with white bars throughout and some white spots.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Forest Botial-Jarvis · CC BY 4.0
Red-crowned Woodpecker (Melanerpes rubricapillus)

Red-crowned Woodpecker

Melanerpes rubricapillus

Small52 gWoodland

The red-crowned woodpecker is 16 to 18.5 cm (6.3 to 7.3 in) long and weighs 40 to 65 g (1.4 to 2.3 oz). The sexes' plumage is alike except for their head pattern. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a pale yellow to whitish forehead, a bright red crown, and an orange-red nape and hindneck. Adult females have the same pale yellow to whitish forehead but a pale gray-buff to whitish crown and a reddish to orange-red nape and hindneck. Both sexes' cheeks, chin, and throat are grayish-buff.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Thomas Junier · 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: Hoffmann's Woodpecker and Red-crowned Woodpecker.