Bird Guide

Puerto Rican Woodpecker vs Rufous Woodpecker

Puerto Rican Woodpecker (Melanerpes portoricensis)

Puerto Rican Woodpecker

Melanerpes portoricensis

Small60 gForest

The Puerto Rican woodpecker has a black body and a bright red throat and breast. It has a white patch that runs across the head from eye to eye. Its flanks and lower body have a light tangerine coloration. As with the majority of birds sexual dimorphism is present in this species. The males' throat and breast are more brightly colored than the females' with females tending to be all-around duller in coloration. There is also a substantial (~18%) difference in bill length between sexes. Also males are slightly bigger than females. Its average weight is 56.0 grams.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ryan Douglas · CC BY 3.0
Rufous Woodpecker (Micropternus brachyurus)

Rufous Woodpecker

Micropternus brachyurus

Medium86 gForest

The rufous woodpecker is about 25 cm long, overall dark brown with dark bands on the feathers of the wing and tail giving it a black-barred appearance. The head appears paler and underparts are of a darker shade. The bill is short and black with a slight curvature of the culmen. At the nostrils the bill is narrow. The tail is short and rufous with narrow black bars but in subspecies badiosus the tail is dark with narrow rufous bars. Feather margins are pale in squamigularis and annamensis. Feathers on the neck, ears and lore are unmarked.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Shiv's fotografia · CC BY 4.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Puerto Rican Woodpecker and Rufous Woodpecker.