Grey-crowned woodpecker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Grey-crowned woodpecker |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Piciformes |
| Family: | Picidae |
| Genus: | Colaptes |
| Species: |
C. auricularis
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| Binomial name | |
| Colaptes auricularis |
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| Synonyms | |
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Piculus auricularis (Salvin & Godman, 1889) |
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The grey-crowned woodpecker (Colaptes auricularis) is a special type of bird. It belongs to the woodpecker family, Picidae. This bird lives only in western Mexico. It's known for its unique look, especially its head!
Contents
What's in a Name? (Taxonomy)
Scientists like to give names to animals and group them together. This is called taxonomy. The grey-crowned woodpecker was first named Chloronerpes auricularis. Later, it was moved to a group called Piculus. Since about 2007, it has been placed in the Colaptes group.
This woodpecker looks a lot like the golden-olive woodpecker (C. rubiginosus). Some scientists even thought they were the same species. The word auricularis means "eared." This name comes from the patterns on the bird's head, which look a bit like ears. The grey-crowned woodpecker is a single species, meaning it has no different subspecies.
What Does It Look Like?
The grey-crowned woodpecker is about 19.5 to 21 centimeters (7.7 to 8.3 inches) long. It weighs about 65 grams (2.3 ounces). Males and females look very similar, except for their heads.
Adult males have a light gray top of the head and back of the neck. Their cheeks are pale brownish-yellow. They have a wide red stripe below their cheeks. Their chin and upper throat are dull white with gray stripes.
Adult females do not have any red on their heads. Both sexes have mostly olive-green upper parts. Their wings are a brighter olive-green. Their tail is yellowish-olive-green with dark tips. Their belly is yellowish-white with olive stripes. This bird has a dark gray beak, brown eyes, and gray legs. Young woodpeckers look like adult females. Young males might have some gray mixed with their red facial stripe.
Where Does It Live? (Distribution and Habitat)
The grey-crowned woodpecker lives in western Mexico. You can find it from southern Sonora and Chihuahua all the way to southern Oaxaca.
It likes to live inside and at the edges of semi-humid and humid forests. You can also find it in pine-oak forests. It lives from near sea level up to about 2,400 meters (7,900 feet) high.
How Does It Behave?
Movement
The grey-crowned woodpecker stays in the same area all year long. It does not migrate.
Feeding
This woodpecker looks for food everywhere, from the ground to the tops of the trees. We don't know everything it eats, but its diet includes termites, other small bugs, and berries.
=Reproduction (Breeding)
Scientists are still learning about the grey-crowned woodpecker's breeding season. We know it breeds at least in March and April. Not much else is known about how it raises its young.
Sounds It Makes
The grey-crowned woodpecker has a song that sounds like a fast, high-pitched, churring rattle. It also makes a sharp, slightly loud "kea'ah" sound. Another sound it makes is a low, soft "growh." When it drums on trees, it makes short and fast sounds.
What Is Its Conservation Status?
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) says the grey-crowned woodpecker is a species of "Least Concern." This means it is not in immediate danger of disappearing. It lives in a large area and has at least 20,000 adult birds.
However, the number of these birds is thought to be going down. The main threat to this woodpecker is the loss of its forest home. People are cutting down trees for farming, wood, and raising animals. This means the grey-crowned woodpecker has fewer places to live.
 | Ernest Everett Just |
 | Mary Jackson |
 | Emmett Chappelle |
 | Marie Maynard Daly |
