Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Overview
Golden-fronted Woodpecker: Medium-sized woodpecker with black-and-white barred back and wings, white rump and black tail. Head has golden yellow-orange nape, red cap, small yellow patch at base of upper mandible, and buff-gray face. Underparts are gray-white. Black bill, legs and feet.

Range and Habitat
Golden-fronted Woodpecke: Resident in southwestern Oklahoma and central Texas. Frequents open woods in dry country and river bottoms with trees.

The Golden-fronted Woodpecker is generally located in North America. It resides in multiple woodlands throughout Texas and Oklahoma, and is especially rampant in the lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas. Nests are drilled out of trees, which are later reused by other species of birds. Taller varieties of pecan, oak and mesquite are the preferred materials for nests. In urbanized areas, they may also use telephone poles, fence posts and man-made bird boxes. The Golden-fronted Woodpecker primarily eats insects and vegetation. Their favorite food is grasshoppers, but they also dine on beetles and ants. The conservation rating of the Golden-fronted Woodpecker is Least Concern.

INTERESTING FACTS
The Golden-fronted Woodpecker consumes about as much fruit and nuts as it does insects. In summer in Texas, the faces of some woodpeckers become stained purple from eating fruit of the prickly pear cactus. It is composed of four subspecies that differ in size, amount of barring on the tail, and the color of the nape, nasal tufts, and belly. The four forms were formerly considered different species. This bird was first described by Johann Georg Wagler, the German herpetologist. The original scientific name was Centurus aurifrons. A group of woodpeckers has many collective nouns, including a "descent", "drumming", and "gatling" of woodpeckers.