Melanerpes lewis
The Lewis's Woodpecker, *Melanerpes lewis*, is a strikingly handsome and unusually behaved member of the woodpecker family, often likened to a flycatcher or crow due to its aerial foraging habits. Measuring 10.6-11.8 inches (27-30 cm) long with a wingspan of 20-22 inches (51-56 cm) and weighing 3.3-4.9 ounces (93-139 g), it boasts an iridescent green-black back and wings, a dark gray collar, a distinctive rosy-red belly, and a deep reddish-pink face. Unlike most woodpeckers, it lacks bold whi...
Found in open woodlands, riparian forests with large trees, ponderosa pine forests, and recently burned areas at low to mid-elevations (typically below 8,000 feet, sometimes up to 10,000 feet).
Primarily consumes insects (especially flying ants, beetles, grasshoppers) caught by flycatching, supplemented by acorns, pine nuts, and various fruits (berries, cherries).
Lewis's Woodpeckers are diurnal, roosting in tree cavities, often old ones, during the night. Their foraging strategies are highly unusual for a woodpecker: they are primarily aerial hawkers, sallying from perches to catch insects in flight, much like a flycatcher. They also glean insects from fo...
The Lewis's Woodpecker breeds across western North America, extending from southern British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, south through the Rocky Mountains to Arizona, New Mexico, and into parts of northern California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Its breeding r...
Least Concern
- The Lewis's Woodpecker was named in honor of Meriwether Lewis, co-leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, who first described the bird in 1805. - Unlike most woodpeckers, it spends very little time pecking wood for food; its primary foraging method is aerial flycatching, akin to a large flyca...