Melanerpes candidus

(Otto, 1796)

Vernacular names
English : White woodpecker
French : Pic dominicain

Classification
Class : Aves
Order : Piciformes
Family : Picidae
Notes : No subspecies known

Identification
Total length of 29 cm for a weight of 136 g. Unmistakable species with its white plumage except from black wings and tail and a small black band running from eye to neck. Yellow eye-ring. Males have yellow nape.

Range and habitat
The species is found in coastal French Guyana and Suriname, then from north Brazil to Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and North Argentina. Lives in dry forests, woodlands, savannas with trees and forest edges, to 2200 m.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Not Listed
Status : The species seems to be common but its true status has yet to be assessed. Its range has expanded in recent times although it’s locally declining because of habitat loss and trapping for wildlife trade.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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