Velasquez's Woodpecker

Melanerpes santacruzi

The golden-fronted woodpecker, Melanerpes aurifrons, is a medium-sized bird, measuring 22 to 26 cm in length and weighing between 65 to 102 grams. It exhibits a striking plumage with barred black and white upperparts and a smoke gray to drab gray underbelly, adorned with light blackish bars on the flanks. A distinctive yellow patch graces the belly, adding a splash of color to its otherwise muted tones.

Identification Tips

Males can be distinguished by their red crown and golden orange to yellow nape, separated by a gap, while females sport a more subdued grayish crown and paler yellow nape. Both sexes share deep red to reddish-brown irises, black to grayish black bills, and grayish green to greenish gray legs and feet. Juveniles are less vibrant, with duller napes and less distinct barring.

Habitat

This woodpecker favors mesic and xeric environments, thriving in mesquite brushlands, riparian woodlands, and even adapting to urban parks and suburban locales.

Distribution

The species ranges from southwestern Oklahoma through central Texas to the Mexican Plateau, reaching as far as Jalisco, San Luis Potosí, and Hidalgo. It occasionally visits New Mexico and has been known to stray further afield.

Behaviour

The golden-fronted woodpecker is a permanent resident within its range, exhibiting year-round territorial behavior. It is often seen foraging on major tree limbs and sometimes on open ground, but rarely underbrush.

Song & Calls

Its vocalizations include a loud, harsh "kirrr" or a hard "tig tig," frequently delivered in a series. The woodpecker's drumming is characterized as short and relatively slow.

Breeding

Pairs typically remain together throughout the year and may produce two broods annually. Both sexes partake in excavating nest cavities in trees, utility poles, or nest boxes, with the incubation period lasting 12 to 14 days and fledging occurring around 30 days post-hatch.

Diet and Feeding

The diet consists of adult and larval arthropods, aerial insects, fruits, nuts, and corn. It employs various foraging techniques, including gleaning, pecking, probing, and occasionally aerial flycatching.

Conservation status

The golden-fronted woodpecker is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a stable population. It is common in much of Texas, and while data from Mexico is limited, the species appears to adjust well to human-altered environments.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.
Download Birda on the Apple App StoreDownload Birda on the Google Play Store

Distribution of the Velasquez's Woodpecker

Use two fingers to move the map
Use ctrl + scroll to zoom the map
Resident

Velasquez's Woodpeckers on Birda

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.
What Our Birders Say
Foxgirl100
Great app for beginner twitchers
I’ve had a passion of photographing birds for a long time now but have only just gotten into proper birdwatching, and this app is brilliant for those just getting started. There is a great sense of community among users and the app is very easy to use and professional. Awesome app altogether
Safira V
Birding and wellbeing app
Birda is an excellent platform to share your love of Birding and is a great tool of encouragement for a Birding Beginner like me. Birda has a very kind and supportive community of Birding enthusiasts. For me BIRDA is not only a BIRDING but also a WELLBEING App.
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!
Ellesse_W
Learning Birding with Birda
I’m relatively new to birding as a hobby, and Birda is a great way to keep track off all the species I see. I’m still working on my ID skills, but the app is great for figuring out potential species, and the online community is so friendly and helpful. Definitely recommend Birda to both early and serious birders! 🐦
Tralisalandhoop
Fantastic app - Love it!
Love this app and have used it almost daily. Lots of species information and easy to use. Love seeing birds spotted by other users in the UK and worldwide.
Nick S
Work together with community
Been loving using this app to log my bird sightings and work together with community members to identify different birds. I've already learned a lot since I started about a month ago!
Talli A
My favourite app
As a young birdwatcher who was always keen to be apart of a community but never seemed to find one, my problem was solved downloading this!!! Everyone is so friendly and just as excited to see birds as me 😁
Emcil24
A Friendly Place
I love using the bird app, I have a pretty good knowledge of birds. But I do have some gaps in it, so it’s nice to have a safe space to check on a sighting to confirm the species. It’s really enjoyable and I love the badges you can collect. It’s like a real life Pokémon go.
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.
David C
Very knowledgeable group
Nice friendly birding community. Very knowledgeable group with a willingness to help.
As featured in
BBC RadioABC NewsFox NewsForbesTimeoutAndroid CentralBirdWatching DailyPetapixel