Woodpeckers- ORDER: Piciformes
- FAMILY: Picidae
Basic Description
With a rich yellow nape and lower belly, female Golden-fronted Woodpeckers look as if they have been sprinkled with gold. Males top off their plumage with a gold forehead and brilliant red crown. In the U.S, these woodpeckers make their home in the dry brushlands and bosques of Texas and parts of Oklahoma. Like other woodpeckers, Golden-fronteds perch early in the day, often calling loudly or drumming, and then spend their day picking insects and larvae from tree branches and trunks.
More ID InfoFind This Bird
Within their U.S. range, look for Golden-fronted Woodpeckers in almost any wooded habitat, especially dry and semiopen areas but also in suburbs and parks. Like other Melanerpes woodpeckers, they are not particularly shy or quiet and are most vocal in early spring as they establish territories and build nests. Search for them in early morning, when they are most active. During the heat of the day, they often rest in shaded spots.
Other Names
- Carpintero Frentidorado (Spanish)
- Pic à front doré (French)
- Cool Facts
- Woodpeckers eat more than just insects, particularly in and near the tropics. The Golden-fronted Woodpecker consumes about as much fruit and nuts as it does insects. In summer in Texas, the faces of some woodpeckers become stained with purple from eating fruit of the prickly pear cactus.
- The oldest recorded Golden-fronted Woodpecker was a male and at least 5 years, 11 months old when he was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in Texas.