Lewis's woodpecker
Melanerpes lewis
Identification Tips:
- Sexes similar
- Fairly large, dark, woodpecker
- Flies with slow, steady crow-like wingbeats
Adult:
- Dark bronze-green head, back, upperwings, rump, and uppertail
- Gray collar and upper breast
- Deep red face
- Pink belly
Juvenile:
- Bronze-green upperparts
- Brownish head and chest (with faint barring)
- Pink belly
Similar species:
Wholly dark plumage sets this woodpecker apart from all
others. No other woodpecker in the U.S.A. has wings that are
entirely solid in color. This and its distinctive crow-like flaps,
which contrast markedly with the undulating flight of other
woodpeckers, render it easily identifiable at a great distance.