About the Jamaican Woodpecker
The Jamaican woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is endemic to Jamaica.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The Jamaican woodpecker is about 24 to 26 cm (9.4 to 10 in) long and weighs 92 to 131 g (3.2 to 4.6 oz). The sexes' plumage is alike except for their head pattern. Adult males have a whitish to buff forehead and are red from their forecrown to hindneck. Adult females have the same white to buffy white forehead but a gray crown with red only on the hindcrown and hindneck. Their upperparts are black with thin white bars that sometimes have a greenish tinge. The bars are widest on the rump and uppertail coverts. Their flight feathers are black with narrow white bars throughout.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
When to see it
Peak activity in March · a variable species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Grey-breasted WoodpeckerMelanerpes hypopoliusLike 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.
Guadeloupe WoodpeckerMelanerpes herminieriThe Guadeloupe woodpecker is a medium-sized, robust woodpecker species measuring 26–28 cm (10–11 in) in length, and with a mass of 86–97 g (3.0–3.4 oz) in males and 69–78 g (2.4–2.8 oz) in females.
Golden-naped WoodpeckerMelanerpes chrysauchenThe golden-naped woodpecker grows to a length of about 18 cm (7 in).
Learn the Jamaican 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.
Play BeakBrainEvery photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.