How big is a Grey-breasted Woodpecker?

The Grey-breasted Woodpecker is a small sized bird weighing about 52 g.

Where can you see a Grey-breasted Woodpecker?

The Grey-breasted Woodpecker is endemic to Mexico, which is the only country where it occurs.

What birds look similar to a Grey-breasted Woodpecker?

The Grey-breasted Woodpecker is most easily confused with the Guadeloupe Woodpecker, the Beautiful Woodpecker and the Jamaican Woodpecker.

Is the Grey-breasted Woodpecker endangered?

The Grey-breasted Woodpecker is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Grey-breasted Woodpecker

Melanerpes hypopolius

Woodpeckers · Piciformes · Rare

The Grey-breasted Woodpecker (Melanerpes hypopolius) is a rare woodpecker found only in Mexico, weighing about 52 g. The grey-breasted woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae.

Least ConcernRareEndemicEats fruitshrublandcavity nest52 g

Grey-breasted Woodpecker (Melanerpes hypopolius), photo 1 — Photo: Giovana A. Valencia · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Grey-breasted Woodpecker (Melanerpes hypopolius), photo 2 — Photo: Giovana A. Valencia · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Grey-breasted Woodpecker (Melanerpes hypopolius), photo 3 — Photo: Giovana A. Valencia · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Grey-breasted Woodpecker (Melanerpes hypopolius), photo 4 — Photo: Forest Botial-Jarvis · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Grey-breasted Woodpecker (Melanerpes hypopolius), photo 5 — Photo: Forest Botial-Jarvis · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Grey-breasted Woodpecker (Melanerpes hypopolius), photo 6 — Photo: Forest Botial-Jarvis · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Grey-breasted Woodpecker (Melanerpes hypopolius), photo 7 — Photo: Trevor Van Loon · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Grey-breasted Woodpecker (Melanerpes hypopolius), photo 8 — Photo: nmoorhatch · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Grey-breasted Woodpecker (Melanerpes hypopolius), photo 9 — Photo: nmoorhatch · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Grey-breasted Woodpecker (Melanerpes hypopolius), photo 10 — Photo: nmoorhatch · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

About the Grey-breasted Woodpecker

The grey-breasted woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is endemic to the interior of southwestern Mexico.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

How to identify it

Like Gila woodpecker (male has round red crown patch), but pale red on cheek; short black line over eye; much darker and grayer below and on head. It is also similar to the zebra-backed birds of the same genus. Voice: David observed three types of vocalization from the grey-breasted woodpecker, including a loud and aggressive sounding rattle, a "chuck" sound by females when the observer approached nests, and a "yak" sound with a heavy inflection.

Where it lives

Mexico

When to see it

Best months: January, February, March, April, May, July, August, October, November, December, with peak activity in December. It is a variable species across most of its range.

Easily confused with

Quick questions

How do you identify a Grey-breasted Woodpecker?: Like Gila woodpecker (male has round red crown patch), but pale red on cheek; short black line over eye; much darker and grayer below and on head. Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is a Grey-breasted Woodpecker?: The Grey-breasted Woodpecker is a small sized bird weighing about 52 g.
Where can you see a Grey-breasted Woodpecker?: The Grey-breasted Woodpecker is endemic to Mexico, which is the only country where it occurs.
What birds look similar to a Grey-breasted Woodpecker?: The Grey-breasted Woodpecker is most easily confused with the Guadeloupe Woodpecker, the Beautiful Woodpecker and the Jamaican Woodpecker.
Is the Grey-breasted Woodpecker endangered?: The Grey-breasted Woodpecker is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the Grey-breasted Woodpecker for real

BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.

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