Velasquez's woodpecker

Updated on Oct 03, 2024

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Kingdom Animalia Family Picidae Phylum Chordata Rank Species		Class Aves Subfamily Picinae Genus Melanerpes Order Piciformes

Similar Melanerpes, Piciformes, Yucatan woodpecker, Grey‑breasted woodpecker, Golden‑fronted woodpecker

Velasquez's woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons santacruzi) is a species of bird in the family Picidae usually considered conspecific with the golden-fronted woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons). The IOC has split the species, but many other taxonomists have not, including the AOU.

It is endemic to southern Mexico and parts of Central America.
There are eleven subspecies if the bird is considered distinct:

M. s. polygrammus – (Cabanis, 1862): Oaxaca to Chiapas (southwest Mexico).

M. s. grateloupensis – (Lesson, 1839): south Tamaulipas to Puebla & central Veracruz.

M. s. veraecrucis – (Nelson, 1900): southern Veracruz to northern Guatemala.

M. s. dubius – (Cabot, 1844): Yucatán Peninsula to Belize & northeastern Guatemala.

M. s. leei – (Ridgway, 1885): Cozumel Island (off Mexico).

M. s. santacruzi – (Bonaparte, 1838): south Chiapas to northern Nicaragua.

M. s. hughlandi – (Dickerman, 1987): central Guatemala.

M. s. pauper – (Ridgway, 1888): northern Honduras.

M. s. turneffensis – (Russell, 1963): Turneffe Atoll (off Belize).

M. s. insulanus – (Bond, 1936): Útila Island (off Honduras).

M. s. canescens – (Salvin, 1889): Roatán & Barburat Islands (off Honduras).

References

Velasquez's woodpecker Wikipedia

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