Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Melanerpes aurifronsOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Woodpeckers (Picidae)

Codes: Common Name: GFWO Scientific Name: MELAUR ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178194

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Golden-fronted Woodpecker Breeding Male Portrait

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

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

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

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.

Field Guide to Birds of North America