White-fronted Woodpecker
Melanerpes cactorum
Medium-sized pied woodpecker. Has a white forehead and a yellow or white throat and is grayish below with a barred mantle and tail. Note the often-concealed red patch on the crown of the male, absent in females. Found in dry forests, gallery forests, and montane scrub, usually in association with cacti. Call is a nasal “weep-weep.”
Identification
The adult white-fronted woodpecker is about 17 cm (7 in) in length. The sexes are similar in appearance except for a small patch of red, not always visible, on the crown in males. The crown, nape and upper parts are glossy black, apart from a thin white line running from a white nape patch down the centre of the back. A black mask surrounds the eye and extends to the mantle. The upper side of the wings is bluish-black, boldly barred with white, and the underside is browner. The upper side of the tail is black with white markings and the underside is browner. The fore-crown and cheeks are white, and the chin and throat are white, yellow or buff. The breast and belly are some shade of grey, with indistinct barring on the flanks and lower belly. The iris is reddish-brown, the beak greyish-black and the legs grey. Juveniles are similar to the adults but are generally a duller black, the underparts being more heavily barred, and both sexes having traces of red or orange on the mid-crown.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Melanerpes cactorum
- Authority
- (d'Orbigny, 1840)
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Picidae
- Genus
- Melanerpes
Range and habitat
The white-fronted woodpecker is native to central South America. Its range includes southeastern Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay, northern Argentina, Paraguay and southeastern Brazil. Its typical habitat is chaco, savannah and semi-desert with scattered trees, shrubs and cacti. It also occurs in palm groves, gallery forest and agricultural land with scattered trees. It lives at altitudes of up to 2,500 m (8,000 ft). It is a non-migratory, sedentary species.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Glossy Black-Cockatoo
Calyptorhynchus lathami
Smaller brownish-black cockatoo of eastern Australia. Male fairly plain except for bright red tail panels. Female has blotchy yellow patches on neck and face and orange-red tail panels. Large bill used to feed on Allocasuarina and Casuarina seeds. The species is entirely dependent on these trees, and recently chewed seed-cones are good indicators of their presence. Usually observed in small groups rather than large flocks. Calls include drawn-out notes with a rougher, croakier tone than Red-tailed and Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos.
Ambon White-eye
Zosterops kuehni
A small songbird with a conspicuous white eye-ring, a green face and upperparts, a bright yellow throat, a white belly, and a yellow base to the undertail. Pairs and small groups occur in the lowlands in forest, edge, sparsely wooded areas, and gardens. Restricted to Ambon, except for a few records from Seram. Separated from Warbling and Lemon-bellied White-eyes by its white belly, and from Seram White-eye by its green face and forecrown. Song comprises a rapid, pleasant warble. Also gives penetrating “tzew” notes.
Maleo
Macrocephalon maleo
A massive black-and-white megapode with a rose-pink breast and a diagnostic prominent knob on the nape. Found in lowland and hill forest, in areas near beaches or areas with volcanic sands in which they lay their eggs. Immatures show a blacker head with a white throat and a tufted crest. Occurs in pairs that forage on the ground and roost in trees by night. Often best seen at known egg-laying sites, either during laying sessions, or roosting in trees nearby. Generally silent, but occasionally gives a loud, bubbling “waow.”
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