Yellow-fronted Woodpecker

Melanerpes flavifrons

Woodpeckers · Piciformes · Rare

The Yellow-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes flavifrons) is a rare woodpecker found in 3 countries, weighing about 58 g. The yellow-fronted woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae.

Least ConcernRareEats omnivoreforestcavity nest58 g

About the Yellow-fronted Woodpecker

The yellow-fronted woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in Brazil, Paraguay and far north-eastern Argentina. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest. It is a fairly common bird with a wide range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified its conservation status as "least concern".

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

How to identify it

This colourful woodpecker is about 18 cm (7 in) long. The sexes are similar apart from the male having a red crown and nape, while this region in the female is bluish black. Both have a yellow fore-crown, cheeks, chin, and throat, and a broad, black band running from the base of the beak, across the eye to the nape. The mantle and upper wings are mainly black, and the back and rump are white. The tail is black with some white barring on the outer feathers. The breast is grey or olive, the belly red, and the flanks barred in black and white or black and buff.

Where it lives

When to see it

The Yellow-fronted Woodpecker can be seen all year round, with peak activity in October. It is a resident species across most of its range.

Easily confused with

Quick questions

How do you identify a Yellow-fronted Woodpecker?
This colourful woodpecker is about 18 cm (7 in) long. Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is a Yellow-fronted Woodpecker?
The Yellow-fronted Woodpecker is a small sized bird weighing about 58 g.
Where can you see a Yellow-fronted Woodpecker?
The Yellow-fronted Woodpecker occurs in 3 countries, including Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.
What birds look similar to a Yellow-fronted Woodpecker?
The Yellow-fronted Woodpecker is most easily confused with the Golden-naped Woodpecker, the White-fronted Woodpecker and the West Indian Woodpecker.
Is the Yellow-fronted Woodpecker endangered?
The Yellow-fronted Woodpecker is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the Yellow-fronted 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 BeakBrain

Every 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.