West Indian woodpecker

The West Indian woodpecker (Melanerpes superciliaris) is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in the Bahamas, Cayman Islands and Cuba. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, and heavily degraded former forest.

West Indian woodpecker
Male
Female
Both M. s. superciliaris
on Cuba
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Genus: Melanerpes
Species:
M. superciliaris
Binomial name
Melanerpes superciliaris
(Temminck, 1827)

The species has been observed to have a polyandrous breeding system, with one female raising two broods with different males concurrently.

Sub species

There are four recognized endemic sub-species in Cuba:[2]

  • M. s. superciliaris, Main island and Cayo Cantiles
  • M. s. murceus, Isla de Pinos
  • M. s. florentinoi, Cayo Largo
  • M. s. sanfelipensis, Cayo Real

There are two other sub-species:

  • M. s. nyeanus, Grand Bahama and San Salvador I.
  • M. s. blakei, Great Abaco I. (n Bahamas)

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Melanerpes superciliaris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Orlando H. Garrido and Arturo H. Kirkconnell, Birds of Cuba, Christopher Helm, Cornell 2000 ISBN 0-7136-5784-7
  • Raffaele, Herbert; James Wiley, Orlando Garrido, Allan Keith & Janis Raffaele (2003) Birds of the West Indies, Christopher Helm, London.
  • Willimont, L.A., Jackson, J.A. and Jackson, B.J.S. (1991). "Classical polyandry in the West Indian woodpecker on Abaco, Bahamas". Wilson Bull. 103: 124–125.



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