#melanerpes

[herpsandbirds]

Acorn Woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus), family Picidae, order Piciformes, CA, USA

The individual on the right is amelanistic.

Photograph by Mark Rauzon

[snototter]

A gila woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis) takes flight from a saguaro cactus in Tucson, Arizona

by David Quanrud

[birdblues]

Lewis' Woodpecker

[alonglistofbirds]

[1049/10,977] Black-cheeked Woodpecker - Melanerpes pucherani

Order: Piciformes Suborder: Pici Family: Picidae (woodpeckers) Subfamily: Picinae (true woodpeckers)

Photo credit: Alexander Montero via Macaulay Library

[myrachidh]

Young Carolinian Red-bellied Woodpecker ~ The Carolinian ~ Melanerpes carolinus ~ Pic à ventre roux ~ My Yard In Sparta, New Jersey #Young #Juvenile #Carolinian #Red-belliedWoodpecker #Woodpecker #Melanerpes #Melanerpescarolinus #Pic #Picàventreroux #Sparta #NJ #NewJersey #birdsofinstagram #Birds #Oiseaux #wildlifephotography #Wildlife #oiseauxmigrateurs #oiseauxerrants #Macros #Macrophography #livebirds #Ornithology ~ https://www.flickr.com/photos/rachidh/albums (at Sparta, New Jersey) https://www.instagram.com/p/CByz8yFAfVY/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[fatchance]

Recent birds: Gila woodpecker / carpintero del desierto (Melanerpes uropygialis) visiting a San Pedro House suet feeder. 

At San Pedro House, San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, Cochise County, Arizona. 

[na-bird-of-the-day]

BOTD: Gila Woodpecker

Photo: Mick Thompson

"A brash, noisy woodpecker of desert regions. Common and conspicuous in stands of saguaro, or giant cactus, it also lives in the trees along desert rivers, and is quick to move into towns and suburbs. This species and the Gilded Flicker are the two main architects of desert apartment houses: the holes they excavate in giant cactus are later used as nesting sites by many other birds, from flycatchers and martins to owls and kestrels."

- Audubon Field Guide

[occasionallybirds]

Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)

April 8, 2023

Southeastern Pennsylvania

[triruntu]

#502, a red-bellied woodpecker for @iamtheonethinginlifeicancontrol.

Requests for birds are open, updates happen on Thursdays. [project tag] | [kofi] [commissions] Find me on: [twitter]

[sitting-on-me-bum]

What’s for dinner? This tree is a pantry to an acorn woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus), holding its acorn stash. The species has unusual behaviors, such as living in large groups, breeding cooperatively, and hoarding acorns. They wedge acorns into the holes they've made in the trunk. This image came from Arizona, but this type of woodpecker is living from Canada to Colombia.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAVIER AZNAR, @JAVIER_AZNAR_PHOTOGRAPHY

[herpsandbirds]

Yellow-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes flavifrons), male, family Picidae, found in Brazil, Paraguay, and a small area of Argentina

Photograph by Lindolfo Vieira Souto

[snototter]

A leucistic acorn woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) in California, USA

by Robin Gwen Agarwal

[birdblues]

Red-headed Woodpecker

[alonglistofbirds]

[27/10,976] Acorn Woodpecker - Melanerpes formicivorus

Order: Piciformes Suborder: Pici Family: Picidae (woodpeckers) Subfamily: Picinae (true woodpeckers)

Photo credit: Steve Tucker via Macaulay Library

[myrachidh]

Red-bellied Woodpecker ~ The Carolinian ~ Melanerpes carolinus ~ Pic à ventre roux ~ My Yard In Sparta, New Jersey #Young #Juvenile #Carolinian #Red-belliedWoodpecker #Woodpecker #Melanerpes #Melanerpescarolinus #Pic #PicàVentreRoux #Sparta #NJ #NewJersey #birdsofinstagram #Birds #Oiseaux #wildlifephotography #Wildlife #oiseauxmigrateurs #oiseauxerrants #Macros #Macrophography #livebirds #Ornithology ~ https://www.flickr.com/photos/rachidh/albums (at Sparta, New Jersey) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcwhPV4LxL5/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[fatchance]

Recent birds: A very shy Lewis's woodpecker / carpintero de Lewis (Melanerpes lewis) at Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon, Santa Cruz County, Arizona.

Once again, for me the honorific poses problems. The bird is named for Meriwether Lewis, who "discovered" it during his western expedition with William Clark. Both men were slave owners - a sufficient disqualifying mark, in my opinion - but the assumption of naming rights based on so-called discovery is laughable. How do you discover something the local indigenous folks have known for millennia? Why equate discovery with description?

The woodpecker has a few characteristics that would lend themselves to a good honest bird name. It is the only pink and green woodpecker I know of. And unlike most woodpeckers it behaves more like a crow in flight, and like a flycatcher in its feeding habits. There are plenty of birdish possibilities that don't require honoring the dishonorable. What's your suggestion?