Photo: http://www.naturespicsonline.com/ / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Lewis’s Woodpecker
Melanerpes lewis
Lewis's Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) — Woodpeckers & Toucans of North America.
Found across 19 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Lewis’s Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) is a member of the Picidae family found in North America. Adults weigh 106 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 lewis
Quick facts
- Weight
- 106 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Picidae
- Order
- Piciformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Vulnerable
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Lewis’s Woodpecker is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open woodland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Lewis’s Woodpecker is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Lewis’s Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) is a member of the Picidae family, within the order Piciformes. It is found across North America. Its distribution covers NA sw Canada to sw USA.
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 106 g, with a wing length of about 16.7 cm and a tail of around 9.9 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 2.1 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Lewis’s Woodpecker?
The Lewis’s Woodpecker is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 106 g.
Where does the Lewis’s Woodpecker live?
The Lewis’s Woodpecker is found across North America with a range covering NA sw Canada to sw USA, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Lewis’s Woodpecker belong to?
The Lewis’s Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) belongs to the Picidae family, in the order Piciformes.
What does the Lewis’s Woodpecker eat?
The Lewis’s Woodpecker is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Lewis’s Woodpecker migrate?
The Lewis’s Woodpecker is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Lewis’s 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 Lewis’s Woodpecker make?
1 real field recording of the Lewis’s 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 Lewis’s Woodpecker's range?
The Lewis’s Woodpecker has a mapped global range of about 2.1 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.