Photo: Bernard DUPONT / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Yucatan Woodpecker
Melanerpes pygmaeus
Yucatan Woodpecker (Melanerpes pygmaeus) — Woodpeckers & Toucans of Central America & Caribbean.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Yucatan Woodpecker (Melanerpes pygmaeus) is a member of the Picidae family found in Central America & Caribbean. Adults weigh 38.8 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 pygmaeus
Quick facts
- Weight
- 38.8 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Picidae
- Order
- Piciformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Yucatan Woodpecker is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open scrub and shrubland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Yucatan Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Yucatan Woodpecker (Melanerpes pygmaeus) is a species of bird in the Picidae family, part of the order Piciformes. Its range spans Central America & Caribbean. Its distribution covers MA Yucatán Pen.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 38.8 g, with a wing length of about 9.7 cm and a tail of around 6.2 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 126,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Yucatan Woodpecker?
The Yucatan Woodpecker is a small bird that weighs around 38.8 g.
Where does the Yucatan Woodpecker live?
The Yucatan Woodpecker is found across Central America & Caribbean with a range covering MA Yucatán Pen, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Yucatan Woodpecker belong to?
The Yucatan Woodpecker (Melanerpes pygmaeus) belongs to the Picidae family, in the order Piciformes.
What does the Yucatan Woodpecker eat?
The Yucatan Woodpecker is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Yucatan Woodpecker migrate?
The Yucatan Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Yucatan 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 Yucatan Woodpecker make?
1 real field recording of the Yucatan Woodpecker — including its drumming — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Yucatan Woodpecker's range?
The Yucatan Woodpecker has a mapped global range of about 126,000 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.