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.