Melanerpes lewis
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Lewis's woodpecker (''Melanerpes lewis'') is a large
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
n species of woodpecker which ornithologist Alexander Wilson named after
Meriwether Lewis Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, with ...
, one of the explorers who surveyed the areas bought by the United States of America as part of the Louisiana Purchase and discovered this species of bird.


Taxonomy

Lewis's woodpecker was described and illustrated in 1811 by the American ornithologist Alexander Wilson in his ''American Ornithology; or, the Natural History of the Birds of the United States''. Wilson based his description on some bird skins that had been collected on an expedition across the western portion of the United States led by
Meriwether Lewis Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, with ...
and William Clark in 1803–1806. Wilson coined the English name "Lewis's woodpecker" and the
binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
''Picus torquatus''. Unfortunately, the specific epithet was preoccupied by the
ringed woodpecker The ringed woodpecker (''Celeus torquatus'') is a species of bird in the family Picidae that contains the woodpeckers, piculets, and wrynecks. It is found in northern Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and western Venezuela. Its natural ha ...
, ''Celeus torquatus'' ( Boddaert, 1783) and so in 1849 the English zoologist George Robert Gray coined a new name ''Picus lewis''. The type locality is Montana. Lewis's woodpecker is now placed in the genus ''
Melanerpes ''Melanerpes'' is a genus of woodpeckers of the family Picidae found in the New World. The 24 members of the genus are mostly colourful birds, conspicuously barred in black and white, with some red and yellow. Taxonomy The genus ''Melanerpes'' ...
'' that was erected by the English ornithologist
William John Swainson William John Swainson FLS, FRS (8 October 1789 – 6 December 1855), was an English ornithologist, malacologist, conchologist, entomologist and artist. Life Swainson was born in Dover Place, St Mary Newington, London, the eldest son of ...
in 1832. The species is monotypic: no
subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
are recognised.


Description

One of the largest species of American woodpeckers, Lewis's woodpecker can measure up to in length. It is mainly reddish-breasted, blackish-green in color with a black rump. It has a gray collar and upper breast, with a pinkish belly, and a red face. The wings are much broader than those of other woodpeckers, and it flies at a much more sluggish pace with slow, but even flaps similar to those of a crow. Its calls have a harsh sound relative to other woodpeckers', and it may use a repertoire of several different phrases. They are one of the three largest ''
Melanerpes ''Melanerpes'' is a genus of woodpeckers of the family Picidae found in the New World. The 24 members of the genus are mostly colourful birds, conspicuously barred in black and white, with some red and yellow. Taxonomy The genus ''Melanerpes'' ...
'' woodpeckers, being similar in size to the
white woodpecker The white woodpecker (''Melanerpes candidus'') is a South American species of woodpecker (family Picidae) native to the wooded grasslands of Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina. It is a bright white bird w ...
and the Jamaican woodpecker. Measurements: * Length: * Weight: * Wingspan:


Range and habitat

Lewis's woodpecker is locally common, dwelling mostly in open pine woodlands, and other areas with scattered trees and snags. Unlike other American woodpeckers, it enjoys sitting in the open as opposed to sitting in heavy tree cover. It ranges mostly in the western to central United States, but can winter as far south as the US border with Mexico and summer as far north as Canada. It has been seen in five Midwestern states: South Dakota, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.


Feeding

Lewis's woodpecker engages in some rather un-woodpecker-like behavior in its gregarious feeding habits. Although it does forage for insects by boring into trees with its chisel-like bill, the bird also catches insects in the air during flight (typical insect
hawking Hawking may refer to: People * Stephen Hawking (1942–2018), English theoretical physicist and cosmologist *Hawking (surname), a family name (including a list of other persons with the name) Film * ''Hawking'' (2004 film), about Stephen Haw ...
), a habit that only a few other woodpeckers, such as the Acorn woodpecker, the red-headed woodpecker and the
northern flicker The northern flicker or common flicker (''Colaptes auratus'') is a medium-sized bird of the woodpecker family. It is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands, and is one of the few woodpecker spec ...
, engage in. Lewis's woodpecker also feeds on berries and nuts, and will even shell and store nuts in cracks and holes in wood to store until winter. It will also feed at flat, open bird feeders where it might act aggressively toward other birds.


Breeding

Lewis's woodpecker nests in a cavity excavated from a dead tree branch. The nest is constructed mainly by the male. The female will lay between 5 and 9 eggs, which are plain white in coloration. Both sexes incubate—the female during the day and the male at night. Incubation lasts approximately 12 days, after which the young will hatch. The young leave the nest four to five weeks after hatching.


References


External links


Lewis's woodpecker - ''Melanerpes lewis''
- USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter

- Cornell Lab of Ornithology

VIREO * ttp://dwrcdc.nr.utah.gov/rsgis2/images/Photos/melalewi.jpg Photo-Medium Res ttp://dwrcdc.nr.}.gov/rsgis2/search/Display.asp?FlNm=melalewi Article w/species analysisdwrcdc.nr.Utah.gov– Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Photo-High ResArticle
pbase {{Taxonbar, from=Q607925 Lewis's woodpecker Lewis's woodpecker Native birds of Western Canada Native birds of the Western United States Lewis's woodpecker