Dec 20 2008
Northeast Mexico Endemics III: Bronze-winged Woodpecker
OK, here is where the American Ornithologist’s Union and I part company. They still officially consider the green, Red-bellied Woodpecker-sized woodpeckers that occur in Northeastern Mexico to be a distinctive subspecies of the Golden-Olive Woodpecker Colaptes rubiginosus, a wide-ranging neotropical species. They designate these birds as Colaptes r. aeruginosus, the “Bronze-winged Woodpecker.” I say–and this is hardly a radical stance, or even a wide stance–that it’s time to take those scare quotes off and elevate these birds to full species status.
If you know Golden-Olive Woodpeckers, you might see that the female Bronze-winged above has a more scaly, less striped look below. There are a couple of other plumage and structural features that can’t be seen here that are different, too. As usual, it’s voice that really convinces me that we’re dealing with something different. These guys sound very different than the more widespread Golden-olives.
However you come down on the taxonomy, it’s an unexpected treat to see a bird this strange and tropical looking so close to the United States. Imagine the furor it would create if one turned up on the north bank of the Rio Grande. But that’s a near-constant of birding the northeastern tip of the Sierra Madre–you just can’t believe all this cool, tropical stuff is just a day’s drive from Texas*.
The shot below was taken only a few hundred meters away from the one above, along the Rio Frio at La Bocatoma II, a restaurant with extensive grounds that are quite popular with birders and butterfliers. You can see a couple of mango trees (extreme right, silhouetted & center left) interspersed with the native forest.
*If you’d like to experience this feeling yourself, how about joining me for a great trip to South Texas & Northeast Mexico next February 14th through the 22nd? If you’d like a pdf of the itinerary (it’s pretty sweet-looking, if I do say so myself) just leave me a comment below and I’ll send it.
Beautiful bird! Your invitation is very tempting. Send me the pdf. Who knows…
You just have a scare quote bias, haven’t you?
So apart from this snazzy woodpecker, you and the AOU are copacetic?
I’d like to see you itinerary for Feb 14-22.
Thanks