Puerto Rican Woodpecker vs White Woodpecker

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

White Woodpecker

Melanerpes candidus

Medium108 gGrassland

This woodpecker grows to a length of 24 to 29 cm (9.4 to 11.4 in) and weighs around 108 g (3.8 oz), with a range of 98 to 131 g (3.5 to 4.6 oz). It is one of the largest Melanerpes woodpeckers along with the Jamaican woodpecker and Lewis' woodpecker. The mantle, back, wings and tail of the adult are black, the flight feathers being brownish-black above and the underside of the wings being greyish-black. The crown, face, rump and underparts are white, sometimes with some buff shading.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Sebastián Lovera · CC0

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