An Exploration of Melanerpes and the Gila Woodpecker

By Sarah Weber

The Sonoran Desert is home to more than 350 bird species. One of these many unique species is the Gila woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis). It is a non-migratory, endemic bird to the Sonoran Desert regions of the U.S. and Mexico. The male and female gila woodpeckers both have brown faces, black and white zebra striped backs, and white wing patches. Adult males have a red cap of feathers on top of their head. While they do forage and nest in trees, they most commonly use the iconic saguaro cacti as nurseries - a true Sonoran Desert animal! I admire the tough and harsh environments where the Gila woodpecker lives, and wanted to use that as an opportunity to further explore their genus, Melanerpes.

Adult female and adult male Gila woodpecker. 
Image Source: Audubon.org / David Masche

Taxon Classification Description
Domain Eukaryota Organisms whose cells have a membrane-bound nucleus. This includes all animals, plants, fungi, and many unicellular organisms.
Kingdom Animalia Includes animals that are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms. These organisms consume organic material, breathe oxygen, contain muscle cells and are able to move, and can reproduce sexually.
Phylum Chordate Deuterostomic animals with five distinguishing physical characteristics: notochord, a hollow dorsal nerve cord, an endostyle or thyroid, pharyngeal slits, and post-anal tail. Divided into three subphyla: Vertebrata, Tunicata or Urochordata, and Cephalochordata.
Class Aves Birds, a group of warm-blooded vertebrates, constitute the class Aves. They are characterized by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and strong yet lightweight skeleton.
Order Piciformes Nine families of birds make up the order Piciformes. These are generally insectivorous. Nearly all have zygodactyl feet (two toes forward and two back). With the exception of jacamars, Piciformes do not have down feathers at any age; only true feathers. All nest in cavities and have altricial young.
Family Picidae Bird family that includes woodpeckers, piculets, and wrynecks. Most are specialized for boring with their bills and gleaning insects from tree bark. Subfamily: Picinae (One of four subfamilies of Picidae; contains true woodpeckers) Tribe: Melanerpini (Group of woodpeckers in the Picinae subfamily of the Picidae family; native to the New World and are found in Central and South America, as well as the West Indies. 
Genus Melanerpes 24 species of small to medium-sized woodpeckers. They are mostly colorful, visibly striped black and white with some red and yellow. The beaks are long and pointed, and sometimes curved. The members of Melanerpes mostly eat insects, but also feed on fruits and berries and some species consume sap. They all nest in holes that they evacuate in trees (and also saguaro in the case of the Gila woodpecker).
Species White woodpecker (Melanerpes candidus), Lewis's woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis), Guadeloupe woodpecker (Melanerpes herminieri), Puerto Rican woodpecker (Melanerpes portoricensis), Red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus), Acorn woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus), Yellow-tufted woodpecker (Melanerpes cruentatus), Yellow-fronted woodpecker (Melanerpes flavifrons), Golden-naped woodpecker (Melanerpes chrysauchen), Beautiful woodpecker (Melanerpes pulcher), Black-cheeked woodpecker (Melanerpes pucherani), White-fronted woodpecker (Melanerpes cactorum), Hispaniolan woodpecker (Melanerpes striatus), Jamaican woodpecker (Melanerpes radiolatus), Golden-cheeked woodpecker (Melanerpes chrysogenys), Grey-breasted woodpecker (Melanerpes hypopolius), Yucatan woodpecker (Melanerpes pygmaeus), Red-crowned woodpecker (Melanerpes rubricapillus), Gila woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis), Hoffmann's woodpecker (Melanerpes hoffmannii), Golden-fronted woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons), Velasquez's woodpecker (Melanerpes santacruzi), Red-bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus), West Indian woodpecker (Melanerpes superciliaris)

The species within the Melanerpes genus are distributed across a wide range of habitats from Canada down through Central America and into South America. Despite the wide range of species and habitats, they are similar in many ways from their diet and feeding habits, distinctive calls and methods for communicating, their role in ecosystems, and their ability to bore holes in a variety of structures.

Animal Fact Sheet: Gila Woodpecker. (n.d.). Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. https://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/Gila%20Woodpecker.php.

Popular posts from this blog

Review: PlantNet Plant Identification App

By Sarah Weber
Image
PlantNet  is a web and app-based citizen science platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify and inventory tens of thousands of plant species. Users can share observations which can then be reviewed by the PlantNet community and used by the underlying AI model to recognize plants. A sufficient degree of confidence is required in order for the observation to be added to the public database and the AI model. To take into account new observations and revisions, the AI model is regularly re-trained. This diagram demonstrates the data flow of observations in the PlantNet system. Source: PlantNet.org PlantNet has collected over 1 billion plant images and is one of the biggest contributors to the GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) international database. Data from GBIF can be downloaded and explored, or you can view the hundreds of publications that make use of PlantNet data. PlantNet's highly sophisticated process for identifying and validating observations ...
Read more

Sky Island Alliance

By Sarah Weber
Sky Island Alliance is 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based out of Tucson, AZ focused on protecting and restoring the diversity of life in the Sky Island region. I chose to highlight this organization because of their commitment to the Sky Islands, and it's binational landscapes, wildlife, and people. Sky Island Alliance not only seeks to conserve and protect natural resources; they approach it in a way that is inclusive of the people and culture that are connected to the region.  I've had an opportunity to volunteer with Sky Island Alliance on several occasions, including Spring Seeker, and each time I am impressed with how well their events and initiatives are organized and designed to make a difference. If you'd like to learn more about my personal experience, you can view it here . 
Read more

Invasive Plants: A Threat to the Sonoran Desert

By Sarah Weber
The Sonoran Desert is under threat from several invasive plant species, and they are plants that know no boundaries. They affect the native plants and animals, create fire hazards, and endanger ecosystems. These slides provide an overview of the most problematic invasive plants that are jeopardizing one of the most biologically diverse deserts in the world.
Read more