Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Hispaniolan Woodpecker (Melanerpes striatus)
Hispaniolan Woodpecker

Hispaniolan Woodpecker

Melanerpes striatus

The Hispaniolan woodpecker, Melanerpes striatus, is a medium-sized bird endemic to the island of Hispaniola, a land shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. This striking species is adorned with a black and gold barred plumage, extending from a length of 22 to 28 cm. The males are distinguished by their red crown and nape and possess a slightly longer beak than their female counterparts. The back and wings boast bold black and gold stripes, while the rump is tinged with greenish-yellow and red feather tips. The underparts are a mix of buff, brown, or olive with dark streaking along the flanks.

Identification Tips

Adult males feature a red crown and nape, with a black and white striped upper neck. Their beak is long, slender, and grey, and their legs are also grey. Females resemble males but have a black crown with a red nape. Juveniles can be identified by their black crown with white and red spotting, an orange nape, and a darker iris.

Habitat

The Hispaniolan woodpecker is versatile in its habitat preferences, inhabiting a range of environments from wet to dry forests, including broadleaf and coniferous types. It also frequents plantations, cactus scrub, mangroves, swamps, grasslands, palm groves, wooded agricultural areas, and urban parks.

Distribution

This species is found throughout the island of Hispaniola, which includes both Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Behaviour

These woodpeckers are known for their social nature, often foraging in small, noisy groups. They exhibit a variety of visual displays, including bill-oriented and body movement displays, as well as dihedral flight, which are used for both confrontational and mating purposes.

Song & Calls

The Hispaniolan woodpecker is quite vocal, producing a symphony of yapping, squeaking, rolling, and nasal calls. Drumming is a less frequent part of their auditory repertoire.

Breeding

Breeding can occur throughout the year, with a peak season from March through August. These woodpeckers are communal nesters, with multiple pairs often sharing a single tree for their nesting sites. Both males and females participate in nest construction, incubation, and feeding of the young.

Diet and Feeding

An omnivorous bird, the Hispaniolan woodpecker's diet includes insects, spiders, scorpions, lizards, fruit, seeds, grain, and sap. They are adept at catching flying insects and will use an "anvil" to break up larger food items. They are also known to forage on the sides of tree trunks, rarely descending to the ground.

Conservation status

The Hispaniolan woodpecker is currently listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, indicating that it is not at immediate risk of widespread decline.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Hispaniolan Woodpeckers on Birda

Photos
Sightings

More Woodpeckers

A photo of a Bay Woodpecker (Blythipicus pyrrhotis) , male

Bay Woodpecker

Blythipicus pyrrhotis
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Paul F
Very good database
Highly recommend. It great that this app shows you male Vs female variations when posting. Very good database I'm really impressed.
Sacha0508
Simply fantastic
I love this app, it puts so much fun into recording the birds I’ve seen and heard while I’m out and about. The interface is user-friendly and suitable for all ages. It’s great to collect badges and to review my “lists”.
Dan R
Great app for bird fanatics
Great app for bird fanatics - very user friendly and a perfect place to share sightings.
Robred 2
Fun way to add to your birdwatching experience
I enjoy watching birds in my backyard, but this app helped me really pay attention while on vacation this summer. It was fun to add new birds to my bird watching app.
Hip An
Fantastic
Really enjoying Birda where I live i have a lot of Red kites really hard to photograph but I can video are you planning some place on the app where us Birda can post vids🦉🦅
Leonie
We've been waiting for an App like this
Excellent! We've been waiting for an app like this! Thank you! It would be nice if you could assign additional birds to sessions later!
Birdafan
Ideal Birdwatch Companion
Simply adds to the enjoyment of my birdwatching and helps me record what I’ve seen.
Stewart W
Fantastic to be involved
Fantastic to be involved, great for mental health and gets you responding with the Challenges that are to takd part in.
Nedz53
Really useful
Downloaded to give it a try, everything worked perfectly, recorded my first bird watching walk. Very impressed. Have already recommended to friends!
JCBirding
Just what birding needs
We need more fun in birding, for years it has had a reputation for being up tight and stuffy and only perused by retirees and anoraks. Birda helps change that perception and firmly brings birding into the 21st century! Fun, interactive while still contributing to science and conservation. If you aren’t on it, why not??
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.