One of the 5 woodpeckers on WAnimals
Birds · Piciformes · Picidae
Guadeloupe Woodpecker
Melanerpes herminieri
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
A medium-sized forest woodpecker with entirely black plumage, showing reflections that range from red to purple on the underparts, dark blue on the back and metallic blue on the wing tips. There is no difference in colour between the sexes: males and females are indistinguishable by eye. The bill is black and stout, longer in males, and the legs greenish grey to bluish grey with zygodactyl toes.
Weight
69 g – 97 g
Size
26 cm – 28 cm
Diet
Omnivore
Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
In pairs
Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- In Guadeloupean Creole it is called Tapeur or Tapé, "the one who knocks", and also Toto bwa or Toc-toc, after the sound of its drumming.
- Its scientific name honours Félix Louis L'Herminier, a naturalist who studied in Guadeloupe and wrote numerous works on birds.
- The genus Melanerpes comes from the Greek melas, black, and herpes, creeper: literally "the black creeper", which describes it precisely.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
- Habitat & environment
- Endemic to the Guadeloupe archipelago, in the Lesser Antilles, with a preference for the humid tropical forest of Basse-Terre. It also occupies mangrove above the high-tide line, swamp forest and plantations
- Birth weight
- Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent
- Size at birth
- Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent
- Sexual maturity
- 1 year
Sources consulted: IUCN Red List; Birds of the World (Winkler, Christie y de Juana 2020, Cornell Lab); Villard 1999; Avibase; Birda; Oiseaux.net; Handbook of the Birds of the World vol. 7; IOC World Bird List v15.1; Lesson 1830
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: All year round in the rainforest of Basse-Terre
Where to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Guadeloupe Woodpecker — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Fernandina's Flicker
Colaptes fernandinae
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocopos major
Acorn Woodpecker
Melanerpes formicivorus
Pileated Woodpecker
Dryocopus pileatus
Gila Woodpecker
Melanerpes uropygialis
Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus
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