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  Profile

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  In flight

Woodpeckers

Lewis's Woodpecker

Melanerpes lewis

• common
• 28 km/h
• Starter
• Least Concern

Catches insects in midair like a flycatcher. Pink belly and dark green back from the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Population

53,000–120,000 mature individuals, increasing

Habitat

Open ponderosa pine forests, burned/logged woodlands with standing dead snags, oak savanna, and riparian cottonwood groves

Fun fact

Unlike most woodpeckers, Lewis's Woodpecker rarely excavates wood for insects and instead sallies out from a perch to catch flying insects in mid-air like a flycatcher.

Range

Western North America — breeds from southern British Columbia/Alberta south through the interior US Rockies and Great Basin to Arizona/New Mexico; winters as far south as northern Mexico, with irruptive/nomadic movements tied to nut crops

Diet

Flying insects caught on the wing (flycatcher-style, sallying from a perch), plus gleaned bark insects, acorns, other nuts, and fruit cached in bark crevices for winter

Size

0.27 m

Wingspan

0.5 m

Lifespan

9 years