Photo: Miles Tuttle from Woodland Park, CO, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Black-cheeked Woodpecker
Melanerpes pucherani
Black-cheeked Woodpecker (Melanerpes pucherani) — Woodpeckers & Toucans of Central America & Caribbean.
Found across 10 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Black-cheeked Woodpecker (Melanerpes pucherani) is a member of the Picidae family found in Central America & Caribbean and South America. Adults weigh 62.4 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Piciformes
- Family Picidae Woodpeckers
- Genus Melanerpes
- Species pucherani
Quick facts
- Weight
- 62.4 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Picidae
- Order
- Piciformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Black-cheeked Woodpecker is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Black-cheeked Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Black-cheeked Woodpecker (Melanerpes pucherani) belongs to the Picidae family of the order Piciformes. It is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America. Its distribution covers MA, SA s Mexico to w Ecuador.
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 62.4 g, with a wing length of about 11.1 cm and a tail of around 5.8 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 486,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Black-cheeked Woodpecker?
The Black-cheeked Woodpecker is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 62.4 g.
Where does the Black-cheeked Woodpecker live?
The Black-cheeked Woodpecker is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America with a range covering MA, SA s Mexico to w Ecuador, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Black-cheeked Woodpecker belong to?
The Black-cheeked Woodpecker (Melanerpes pucherani) belongs to the Picidae family, in the order Piciformes.
What does the Black-cheeked Woodpecker eat?
The Black-cheeked Woodpecker is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Black-cheeked Woodpecker migrate?
The Black-cheeked Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Black-cheeked Woodpecker endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Black-cheeked Woodpecker make?
1 real field recording of the Black-cheeked Woodpecker can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Black-cheeked Woodpecker's range?
The Black-cheeked Woodpecker has a mapped global range of about 486,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
Best Suet Feeders for Woodpeckers
How to choose a suet feeder for woodpeckers — the styles compared, why a tail prop helps, and how to keep starlings off. A decision framework with the woodpecker species in the Birbs encyclopedia.
Meet the Picidae
A field guide to the Picidae family — 239 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.