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Thursday, 30 March 2017

29-3-2017 HOTEL BOUGAINVILLEA,COSTA RICA - HOFFMANN'S WOODPECKER (Melanerpes hoffmannii)


The Hoffmann's woodpecker, a striking avian species, is a medium-sized woodpecker measuring 18 to 21 cm in length and weighing between 62 to 84 grams. It exhibits sexual dimorphism in its head pattern. The male is adorned with a bright red crown and a yellow or orange nape, while the female sports a more subdued white crown and a pale yellow nape. Both sexes share a drab yellowish-gray face and throat, with a back and upper rump barred in black and white. The lower rump and uppertail coverts are a pristine white, and their flight feathers are black with white bars and spots. The tail is predominantly black with white accents. The underparts are a mix of dull grayish to yellowish white, with a central belly of bright yellow and flanks of dull yellowish white barred with black. Their bill is a stark black, eyes a hazel hue, and legs range from bluish gray to gray.

This woodpecker favors dry and deciduous forests, as well as more open landscapes such as shade coffee plantations, urban parks, and residential gardens.

Hoffmann's woodpecker is native to Central America, with its range extending from southwestern Honduras through Nicaragua on the Pacific slope to central Costa Rica. There is also a single recorded sighting in El Salvador.

A year-round resident, Hoffmann's woodpecker is known to forage from the forest understory to the canopy and has been observed feeding on the ground. It is a territorial bird, especially during the breeding season, when it aggressively defends its nesting site.

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