Lewis's Woodpecker

Lewis's Woodpecker
Lewis's Woodpecker
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Genus: Melanerpes
Species: M. lewis
Binomial name
Melanerpes lewis
(Gray, 1849)

The Lewis's Woodpecker, Melanerpes lewis, is a large North American species of woodpecker which was named for Meriwether Lewis, one of the explorers who surveyed the areas bought by the United States of America during the Louisiana Purchase.

Contents

Description

One of the largest species of American woodpeckers, Lewis's Woodpecker can be as large as 10 to 11 inches in length. It is mainly reddish-breasted, blackish-green in color with a black rump. It has a gray collar and upper breast, with a pinkish belly, and a red face. The wings are much broader than those of other woodpeckers, and it flies at a much more sluggish pace with slow, but even flaps similar to those of a crow.

Range and habitat

Lewis's Woodpecker is locally common, dwelling mostly in open pine woodlands, and other areas with scattered trees and snags. Unlike other American woodpeckers, it enjoys sitting in the open as opposed to sitting in heavy tree cover. It ranges mostly in the western to central United States, but can winter as far south as the US border with Mexico and summer as far north as Canada.

Feeding

In California, USA
with insect in bill

Lewis's Woodpecker engages in some rather un-woodpecker-like behavior in its gregarious feeding habits. Although it does forage for insects by boring into trees with its chisel-like bill, the bird also catches insects in the air during flight, (typical insect hawking), a habit that only a few other woodpeckers, such as the Acorn woodpecker, the Red-headed Woodpecker and the Northern flicker, engage in. Lewis's Woodpecker also feeds on berries and nuts, and will even shell and store nuts in cracks and holes in wood to store until winter.

Breeding

Lewis's Woodpecker nests in a cavity excavated from a dead tree branch. The nest is constructed mainly by the male. The female will lay between 5 and 9 eggs, which are plain white in coloration. Incubation is done by both sexes – the female sitting during the day and the male sitting at night – and lasts approximately 12 days, after which the young will hatch. The young leave the nest 4 to 5 weeks after hatching.

References

  • BirdLife International (2004). Melanerpes lewis. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 09 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

External links


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Lewis`s woodpecker — Luiso tamsianugaris genys statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Asyndesmus lewis; Melanerpes lewis angl. Lewis s woodpecker vok. Blutgesichtsspecht, m rus. краснолицый меланерпес, m pranc. pic de Lewis, m ryšiai: platesnis… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • lewis's woodpecker — ˈlüə̇sə̇z noun Usage: usually capitalized L Etymology: after Meriwether Lewis died 1809 : a woodpecker (Asyndesmus lewis) of western No. America with the upper parts greenish black, the breast and collar gray, and the face and abdomen rich red …   Useful english dictionary

  • Melanerpes lewis — Blutgesichtspecht Blutgesichtspecht (Melanerpes lewis) Systematik Klasse: Vögel (Aves) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • List of species described by the Lewis and Clark Expedition — The Lewis and Clark Expedition described 178 new plants and 122 species and subspecies of animals. AnimalsMammals*Discovered: ** Black tailed Dog ( Cynomys ludovicianus ) ** Bushy tailed Woodrat ( Neotoma cinerea ) ** Grizzly Bear ( Ursus arctos… …   Wikipedia

  • Liste Des Espèces Découvertes Et Décrites Par L'expédition Lewis Et Clark — L Expédition Lewis et Clark a décrit 178 nouvelles plantes et 122 espèces et sous espèces animales. Sommaire 1 Animaux 1.1 Mammifères 1.2 Oiseaux 1.3 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Liste des especes decouvertes et decrites par l'expedition Lewis et Clark — Liste des espèces découvertes et décrites par l expédition Lewis et Clark L Expédition Lewis et Clark a décrit 178 nouvelles plantes et 122 espèces et sous espèces animales. Sommaire 1 Animaux 1.1 Mammifères 1.2 Oiseaux 1.3 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Liste des espèces découvertes et décrites par l'expédition lewis et clark — L Expédition Lewis et Clark a décrit 178 nouvelles plantes et 122 espèces et sous espèces animales. Sommaire 1 Animaux 1.1 Mammifères 1.2 Oiseaux 1.3 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Liste des espèces découvertes et décrites par l'expédition Lewis et Clark — L Expédition Lewis et Clark a décrit 178 nouvelles plantes et 122 espèces et sous espèces animales. Sommaire 1 Animaux 1.1 Mammifères 1.2 Oiseaux 1.3 Reptiles …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Asyndesmus lewis — Luiso tamsianugaris genys statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Asyndesmus lewis; Melanerpes lewis angl. Lewis s woodpecker vok. Blutgesichtsspecht, m rus. краснолицый меланерпес, m pranc. pic de Lewis, m ryšiai: platesnis… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • Melanerpes lewis — Luiso tamsianugaris genys statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Asyndesmus lewis; Melanerpes lewis angl. Lewis s woodpecker vok. Blutgesichtsspecht, m rus. краснолицый меланерпес, m pranc. pic de Lewis, m ryšiai: platesnis… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

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