Yellow-fronted woodpecker

Melanerpes flavifrons

Photo by Nick Athanas (Antpitta)

Common name:

yellow-fronted woodpecker (en); benedito-de-testa-amarela (pt); pic à front jaune (fr); carpintero de frente amarilla (es); goldmaskenspecht (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Piciformes

Family Picidae

Range:

The yellow-fronted woodpecker is found in Argentina, Paraguay and southern Brazil.

Size:

These birds are 17-19,5 cm long and weigh 49-64 g.

Habitat:

They are mostly found in both coastal and mountainous areas of Atlantic tropical forests, but also in heavily degraded former forest, plantations and arable land.

Diet:

Yellow-fronted woodpecker mostly eat fruits and seeds, namely oranges, bananas, papayas, avocados and other tropical fruits. They also eat insects and their larvae.

Breeding:

These birds breed in January-April. They are polygynous, with each male mating with 3-4 females, all of which lay their eggs in the same nest or in different nests in the same tree. The nest is excavated in the trunk of a dead tree or palm tree, where each females lay 2-4 shiny white eggs. The eggs are incubated by both sexes for 12 days and the chicks are fed by both sexes and fledge 5 weeks after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status – LC (Least Concern)

The yellow-fronted woodpecker has a very large breeding range and is described as fairly common. This species is targeted by the international pet trade, but the population is not considered threatened at present.