Photo: www.naturespicsonline.com / Copyrighted free use (Wikimedia Commons)
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Melanerpes aurifrons
Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons) — Woodpeckers & Toucans of North America.
Found across 14 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons) is a member of the Picidae family found in Central America & Caribbean and North America. Adults weigh 80.8 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 aurifrons
Where it lives
South-central USA and north-central, southeastern Mexico south to Nicaragua and islands off Honduras
Quick facts
- Weight
- 80.8 g
- Diet
- Omnivores
- Family
- Picidae
- Order
- Piciformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Golden-fronted Woodpecker is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open scrub and shrubland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Golden-fronted Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons) is a member of the Picidae family, within the order Piciformes. It occurs naturally across Central America & Caribbean and North America. Its distribution covers NA, MA sc USA and nc, se Mexico s to Nicaragua and islands off Honduras.
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 80.8 g, with a wing length of about 12.9 cm and a tail of around 7.8 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 1.4 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Golden-fronted Woodpecker?
The Golden-fronted Woodpecker is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 80.8 g.
Where does the Golden-fronted Woodpecker live?
The Golden-fronted Woodpecker is found across Central America & Caribbean and North America with a range covering NA, MA sc USA and nc, se Mexico s to Nicaragua and islands off Honduras, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Golden-fronted Woodpecker belong to?
The Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons) belongs to the Picidae family, in the order Piciformes.
What does the Golden-fronted Woodpecker eat?
The Golden-fronted Woodpecker is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.
Does the Golden-fronted Woodpecker migrate?
The Golden-fronted Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Golden-fronted 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 Golden-fronted Woodpecker make?
1 real field recording of the Golden-fronted Woodpecker — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Golden-fronted Woodpecker's range?
The Golden-fronted Woodpecker has a mapped global range of about 1.4 million 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.