Gray-breasted Woodpecker Melanerpes hypopolius Scientific name definitions

Gray-breasted Woodpeckers are found only in southwestern Mexico and are resident there year-round. They prefer open or partially open arid areas that contain cacti or other vegetation. These woodpeckers forage in groups of 3-10 for fruit and insects like termites and cicadas. They forage at all levels and often even flycatch. Grey-breasted Woodpeckers are cooperative breeders and nest colonially in trees or cacti.

c. 19–21 cm; 46–54 g. Male  has white to buffish-white forehead, red patch on central crown, narrow area of black around eye, a few red feathers beneath eye and sometimes also in moustachial region (red occasionally absent); rest of head and neck to upper mantle pale buff-brown to grey-brown, rear ear-coverts often slightly darker, malar usually paler or whitish; black upperparts and wing-coverts barred white to buffish-white, white rump and uppertail-coverts with black spots, streaks or bars; black flight-feathers broadly barred white, primaries also tipped and edged white and with white bars sometimes forming patch near base; uppertail black, tipped white (fresh), central feather pair with large white spots on inner webs, outer pair barred white on outer webs; grey-brown below  , becoming paler with variable black arrowhead bars on lower underparts; underwing brown, barred white, white patch at base of primaries; fairly long bill slightly chisel-tipped, culmen curved, fairly broad across nostrils, blackish with paler lower mandible; iris reddish to brown, orbital skin grey to whitish; legs grey. Distinguished from M. uropygialis by smaller size, somewhat greyer plumage, red beneath eye, stronger white bars above. Female resembles male, but lacks red on crown. Juvenile is duller, browner and greyer, barring less contrasting, both sexes with dark red on crown.

Interior of SW Mexico from N Guerrero and Morelos E to EC Oaxaca.

Variable calls  include nasal “yek-a yek-a”, e.g. during interactions; series of usually 4 dry rattling “chi-i-i-ir” churrs; nasal “chuck” repeated 2–4 times, often by female near nest; voice generally lower-pitched and harsher than that of M. aurifrons. Drums loudly, mostly when intruder present.