Velasquez's woodpecker

Velasquez's woodpecker
	A Velasquez's woodpecker eating annona fruit in the Yucatán
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Piciformes
Family:	Picidae
Genus:	Melanerpes
Species:	M. santacruzi
Binomial name
	Melanerpes santacruzi; (Bonaparte, 1838)
Subspecies
	11, see text
Synonyms
	Melanerpes aurifrons santacruzi

Velasquez's woodpecker (Melanerpes 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 American Ornithological Society.^[1]

It is endemic to southern Mexico and parts of Central America.
There are eleven subspecies if the bird is considered distinct:^[2]

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[]

^ Chesser, R.T.; Banks, R.C.; Barker, F.K.; Cicero, C.; Dunn, J.L.; Kratter, A.W.; Lovette, I.J.; Rasmussen, P.C.; Remsen, J.V.J.; Rising, J.D.; Stotz, D.F.; Winker, K. (2013). "Fifty-Fourth supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds". The Auk. 130 (3): 558–571. doi:10.1525/auk.2013.130.3.1 (inactive 31 October 2021).CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of October 2021 (link)
^ "Woodpeckers". International Ornithological Congress. Retrieved 2015-01-13.

Further reading[]

García-Trejo, E. A.; De Los Monteros, A. E.; Arizmendi, M. D. C.; Navarro-Sigüenza, A. G. (2009). "Molecular Systematics of the Red-Bellied and Golden-Fronted Woodpeckers". The Condor. 111 (3): 442. doi:10.1525/cond.2009.080017. S2CID 84280533.
Skutch, Alexander F. (1969). "Golden-fronted woodpecker" (PDF). Life Histories of Central American Birds III: Families Cotingidae, Pipridae, Formicariidae, Furnariidae, Dendrocolaptidae, and Picidae. Pacific Coast Avifauna, Number 35. Berkeley, California: Cooper Ornithological Society. pp. 451–460. Skutch studied the race Melanerpes aurifrons pauper which is now Melanerpes santacruzi pauper.

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[1] Chesser, R.T.; Banks, R.C.; Barker, F.K.; Cicero, C.; Dunn, J.L.; Kratter, A.W.; Lovette, I.J.; Rasmussen, P.C.; Remsen, J.V.J.; Rising, J.D.; Stotz, D.F.; Winker, K. (2013). "Fifty-Fourth supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds". The Auk. 130 (3): 558–571. doi:10.1525/auk.2013.130.3.1 (inactive 31 October 2021).CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of October 2021 (link)

[2] "Woodpeckers". International Ornithological Congress. Retrieved 2015-01-13.

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