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Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Melanerpes aurifronsOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Woodpeckers (Picidae)
Codes: Common Name: GFWO Scientific Name: MELAUR ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178194

Breeding Location:

Forest, Dense cactuses



Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester



Breeding Population:

Common to fairly common



Egg Color:

White



Number of Eggs:

4 - 7



Incubation Days:

12 - 14



Egg Incubator:

Both sexes



Nest Material:

Bark chips.



Migration:

Nonmigratory



Splitbar

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Clingers Only Feeder
Weather resistant inexpensive feeder is ideal for small birds.
Suet Delight
Easy to hang and maintain, holds all kinds of packaged suet.
Ultimate Woodpecker Feeder
Only allows woodpeckers to feed made of Inland Cedar.
The No-No Copper Feeder
Beautiful copper feeder holds 2.5 lbs of sunflower seeds.
Attracting Clingers

General

Golden-fronted Woodpecker: Medium-sized woodpecker with black-and-white barred back and wings, white rump, yellow-orange nape, red cap, yellow patch at base of upper mandible, and buff-gray face and underparts. Female lacks red cap; juvenile has streaked breast and lacks red cap and yellow nape and bill patches.

Range and Habitat

Golden-fronted Woodpecke: Resident in southwestern Oklahoma and central Texas. Frequents open woods in dry country and river bottoms with trees.

Breeding and Nesting

Golden-fronted Woodpecker: Four to seven white eggs are laid in a nest made of bark chips, and built from 3 to 25 feet above the ground in a cavity in a dead or living tree, utility pole, fence post, or man-made structure. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Golden-fronted Woodpecker: Eats insects, spiders, wild berries, fruits, nuts, acorns, and seeds. Forages low on trees and on the ground.

Readily Eats

Suet, Sunflower Seed, Nuts, Sugar Water, Fruit

Vocalization

Golden-fronted Woodpecker: Song is a noisy trill "churrrrrrr-churrrrrrrr", flicker-like "kek-kek-kek-kek-kek-kek" or "check, check."

Similar Species

Golden-fronted Woodpecker: Red-bellied Woodpecker is similar, but male has red restricted to cap, orange nape, and yellow forecrown; female lacks red but has orange nape.

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Family Woodpecker (Picidae)_blue
Species Melanerpes aurifrons
Length8.5 - 10 Inches
Wingspan17 Inches

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Golden-fronted Woodpecker: Medium-sized woodpecker with black-and-white barred back and wings, white rump and black tail. Head has golden yellow-orange nape, red cap, small yellow patch at base of upper mandible, and buff-gray face. Underparts are gray-white. Black bill, legs and feet.

● Song: "churrrrrrr-churrrrrrrr", "kek-kek-kek-kek-kek-kek", "check, check"

● Foraging & Feeding: Golden-fronted Woodpecker: Eats insects, spiders, wild berries, fruits, nuts, acorns, and seeds. Forages low on trees and on the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Golden-fronted Woodpecker: Four to seven white eggs are laid in a nest made of bark chips, and built from 3 to 25 feet above the ground in a cavity in a dead or living tree, utility pole, fence post, or man-made structure. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Golden-fronted Woodpecker: Red-bellied Woodpecker is similar, but male has red restricted to cap, orange nape, and yellow forecrown; female lacks red but has orange nape.

Flight Pattern

Alternates series of shallow rapid wing beats with short glides, producing a series of undulations as it progresses.
Golden-fronted Woodpecker Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Golden-fronted Woodpecke: Resident in southwestern Oklahoma and central Texas. Frequents open woods in dry country and river bottoms with trees.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationCommon to fairly common
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight3 Ounces
UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
BreastX
The upper front part of a bird.
CapX
The area on top of the head of the bird.
FaceX
The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.
NapeX
Also called the hindneck or collar, it is the back of the neck where the head joins the body.
RumpX
The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.
Upper mandibleX
The upper part of the bill.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX