Lewis's Woodpecker

Overview
Lewis's Woodpecker: Medium woodpecker with black upperparts, hood. Face is dark red, collar is gray, belly is pale red. The bill, legs and feet are black. It was named for Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Its dark plumage sets it apart from all other North American woodpeckers.

Range and Habitat
Lewis's Woodpecker: Breeds from southern British Columbia and Alberta south to central California, northern Arizona, and northern New Mexico. Spends winters from southern British Columbia and Oregon to Colorado and south to northern Mexico. Open pine-oak woodlands, oak, or cottonwood groves in grasslands, and ponderosa pine country are preferred habitats.

The Lewis's Woodpecker has a large range, estimated globally at 2,100,000 square kilometers. Native to North America, this bird prefers forest ecosystems though it can reside on arable land. The global population of this bird has not been exactly determined but does not show signs of decline that would necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List. For this reason, the current evaluation status of Lewis's Woodpecker is Least Concern.

INTERESTING FACTS
The Lewis’s Woodpecker was named for Meriwether Lewis, one of the explorers who surveyed the areas bought by the USA in the Louisiana Purchase. It seldom excavates wood for boring insects. Instead, it gleans insects from the tree surface, or most commonly, flycatches. This species is poorly monitored in many parts of its range, but exhibits a significant long-term decline overall. Populations may have declined by as much as 50 % since 1966. A group of woodpeckers has many collective nouns, including a "descent", "drumming", and "gatling" of woodpeckers.