Lewis's Woodpecker

Lewis's Woodpecker

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A dark woodpecker of open woodlands, the Lewis's Woodpecker is found westward of the Great Plains. Its slow, deliberate flight reminds one of a crow or jay more than a woodpecker.

Description

• Medium-sized woodpecker.
• Head, back, wings, and tail greenish black.
• Gray collar and chest.
• Dark red face.
• Belly pinkish or salmon red.
• Wings and tail all dark, without white spots or patches.

• Size: 26-28 cm (10-11 in)
• Wingspan: 49-52 cm (19-20 in)
• Weight: 88-138 g (3.11-4.87 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike.

Sound

Call a series of "churs".

Conservation Status

Populations declining. On Audubon WatchList.

Other Names

Pic de Lewis (French)
Carpintero de Lewis (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• The Lewis's Woodpecker seldom, if ever, excavates wood for boring insects. Instead, it gleans insects from the tree surface, or most commonly, flycatches. It spends long periods of time watching for flying insects from the top of a pole or dead tree, and then flies out to catch them in flight.

Sources used to construct this page:

Tobalske, B. W. 1997. Lewis' Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis). In The Birds of North America, No. 284 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.