Melanerpes carolinus

• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• Bibliography
• More Info
• Notes

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Physical Description

Habitat

Deciduous forests and wooded areas are the favorite habitat of this woodpecker.

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,370 meters (0 to 7,776 feet).Mean = 187.570 meters (615.387 feet), Standard Deviation = 150.200 based on 20,000 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre.

Ecology:
List of Habitats :1.4Forest - Temperate 1.6Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland

Biology

Diet

Their diet includes insects, fruits, nuts, and seeds. They are also known to be nest predators , commonly taking nestlings and eggs from other cavity nests. They use their stiff tail and distinctly arranged toes (two toes pointing forward and two toes facing backward ) to balance as they move up and down tree trunks and branches to pick prey off trees. They will also eat on the ground or from bird feeders in more urban areas.

Reproduction

The breeding season begins in mid-April, peaks later that month until mid-May, and extends to early July. This woodpecker prefers to nest in a variety of forested areas. The Red-bellied Woodpecker excavates its own nesting cavity or uses a cavity already made, usually less than 40 feet high in a snag , utility pole , or sometimes a nest box. The female lays 3-8 (usually 4-5) eggs that the adults incubate for 12-14 days. The male does most of the incubation during the night. The young are altricial and stay in the nest cavity until 24-27 days after hatching . Both adults care for the young while they are in the nest.

• Breeding Habitat : Woodland
• Nest Type: Cavity
• Clutch Size: 3-8
• Length of Incubation: 12-14 days
• Days to Fledge : 24-27
• Number of Broods: 1 in north, 2-3 in south

Migration

Nonmigratory

Taxonomy

Unambiguous Synonyms

1. Centurus carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758)
2. Centurus carolinus subsp. carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758)
3. Centurus carolinus subsp. harpaceus Koelz, 1954
4. Centurus carolinus subsp. perplexus Burleigh and Lowery, 1944
5. Centurus carolinus subsp. zebra (Boddaert, 1783)
6. Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: June 24, 1996.

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 27-Dec-2005

Similar Species

Golden-Fronted Woodpecker

Members of the genus Melanerpes

There are approximately 74 species in this genus:

M. aurifrons (Animals) · M. aurifrons aurifrons · M. aurifrons canescens · M. aurifrons dubius · M. aurifrons grateloupensis · M. aurifrons hughlandi · M. aurifrons insulanus (Golden-Fronted Woodpecker) · M. aurifrons leei · M. aurifrons pauper · M. aurifrons polygrammus · M. aurifrons santacruzi · M. aurifrons turneffensis · M. aurifrons x · M. cactorum (White-Fronted Woodpecker) · M. candidus (White Woodpecker) · M. carolinensis · M. carolinus (Animals) · M. carolinus carolinus · M. carolinus zebra · M. caymanensis · M. chrysauchen (Golden-Naped Woodpecker) · M. chrysauchen chrysauchen · M. chrysauchen pulcher · M. chrysogenys (Golden-Cheeked Woodpecker) · M. chrysogenys chrysogenys · M. chrysogenys flavinuchus · M. cruentatus (Tellow-Tufted Woodpecker) · M. cruentatus cruentatus · M. cruentatus rubrifrons · M. erythrocephalus (Red-Headed Woodpecker) · M. erythrocephalus caurinus (Red-Headed Woodpecker) · M. erythrocephalus erythrocephalus (Red-Headed Woodpecker) · M. flavifrons (Yellow-Fronted Woodpecker) · M. formicivorus (Acorn Woodpecker) · M. formicivorus aculeatus · M. formicivorus albeolus · M. formicivorus angustifrons (Acorn Woodpecker) · M. formicivorus augustifrons · M. formicivorus bairdi (Acorn Woodpecker) · M. formicivorus flavigula · M. formicivorus formicivorus (Acorn Woodpecker) · M. formicivorus lineatus (Acorn Woodpecker) · M. formicivorus martirensis (Acorn Woodpecker) · M. formicivorus striatipectus · M. herminieri (Guadeloupe Woodpecker) · M. hoffmanni · M. hoffmannii (Hoffmann's Woodpecker) · M. hypopolius (Grey-Breasted Woodpecker) · M. lewis (Animals) · M. lewisi · M. portoricensis (Puerto Rican Woodpecker) · M. pucherani (Black-Cheeked Woodpecker) · M. pucherani perileucus · M. pulcher · M. pygmaeus (Yucatan Woodpecker) · M. pygmaeus pygmaeus · M. pygmaeus rubricomus · M. radiolatus (Jamaican Woodpecker) · M. rubricapillus (Red-Crowned Woodpecker) · M. rubricapillus paraguanae · M. rubricapillus rubricapillus · M. rubrifrons · M. santacruzi · M. striatus (Hispaniolan Woodpecker) · M. superciliaris (West Indian Woodpecker) · M. superciliaris caymanensis · M. superciliaris murceus · M. superciliaris superciliaris · M. uroptgialis · M. uropygialis (Animals) · M. uropygialis brewsteri (Gila Woodpecker) · M. uropygialis fuscescens · M. uropygialis uropygialis (Gila Woodpecker) · M. wagleri

Bibliography

• Bird Reference Citations. The numbers inserted in the text accounts above (usually in bold) refer to references. For further details on these references, click on the BirdLife International link above to go to the specific species account on the BirdLife web site. In some cases, particularly in the taxonomic notes, the references are cited using the author names. Details for these can be found on the BirdLife International web site at the following two places: For References from A–L. For References from M–Z.
• BirdLife International. 2000. Threatened Birds of the World. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, U.K.
• BirdLife International. 2004 Threatened Birds of the World 2004. CD-ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K.

More Info

• Search for Pictures: images.google.com
• Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
• Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Notes

Contributors

• BirdLife International 2004. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 18, 2008.
• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed March 17, 2007.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2007. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed March 17, 2007.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed May 27, 2006. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from provider.
• LepIndex: The Global Lepidoptera Names Index
• Opler, Paul A., Harry Pavulaan, Ray E. Stanford, Michael Pogue, coordinators. Butterflies and Moths of North America. Bozeman, MT: Mountain Prairie Information Node. March 26, 2007.
• Universal Biological Indexer and Organizer. uBio.org accessed July 17, 2008.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal December 04, 2007:

• Avian Knowledge Network, eBird
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Provincial Museum of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. Birds
• Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Terrestrial vertebrate specimens
• New Brunswick Museum, NBM birds
• The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx River Bioblitz
• UNIBIO, IBUNAM, CNAV/Coleccion Nacional de Aves
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
• , Bird specimens

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 3854098
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-178176 ITS-178195
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13837171
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 178176
• IUCN ID: 47302
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: ABNYF04170
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 286

Footnotes

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