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Golden-cheeked Woodpecker
Melanerpes chrysogensys
20.7518, -105.379
Field Notes
Description:
Both sexes are of similar size (19 – 22 cm) and both have upperparts barred in black and white. To distinguish in between sexes, I suggest focusing on the birds’ heads. While both male’s and female’s nape are yellow-orange, only male possesses a red crown. Male and female never seem to be too far apart and although they might be occasionally feeding on different trees, they almost constantly keep in touch through loud vocalization. Just like all members of the genus Centurus, this species feeds mainly on insects, especially larvae found under the bark and in the wood of trees.
Habitat:
This bird can be found on the western, and southwestern coastal strip on the Pacific Ocean, and the western bordering regions of mountains of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. They are distributed in the coast from Sinaloa to Colima. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and heavily degraded former forest.
Notes:
This began as a happy story but did not end well for the birds. I watched both the male and female hollowing out a dead tree trunk for about a week, I imagine eggs had been laid, both parents kept coming and going, I watched for about a week and a half and then one morning I awoke to see a ctenosaur coming out from the nest. I imagine he ate the eggs and evicted the woodpeckers...
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