Black-Cheeked Woodpecker
Melanerpes pucherani
About This Species
Works mid-to-upper levels of humid lowland and foothill forest in Central America, hitching up trunks and along branches while excavating and gleaning for insects. Listen for its sharp rattling call and steady tapping; pairs are most detectable early in the morning and are often picked up first by ear before they come into view.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Watch from a distance that lets the bird continue foraging undisturbed, moving away and stopping calling are signs of pushing too close.
- Wildlife protection frameworks differ across its Central American range, so rely on the country and reserve you are in rather than a single rule.
- Avoid lingering near an active nest hole, since woodpeckers can abandon a cavity if disturbance continues over several visits.
LCAvesPiciformesPicidae
Seasonal Activity
191,355 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Picidae
Photo
(c) Stephen John Davies, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Stephen John Davies
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.