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Imperial Woodpecker

Campephilus imperialis

Range & Recent Observations

Imperial Woodpeckeris a year-round resident and doesn't follow a migration flyway. See the Range tab for where it lives.

Last Spotted Near You

View on eBirdWikipedia

About the Imperial Woodpecker

The imperial woodpecker (Campephilus imperialis) is a woodpecker species endemic to Mexico. If it is not extinct, it is the world's largest woodpecker species, at 56–60 cm (22–23.5 in) long. Owing to its close taxonomic relationship, and its similarity in appearance, to the ivory-billed woodpecker (C. principalis), it is sometimes called the Mexican ivory-billed woodpecker, but this name is also used for the extant pale-billed woodpecker (C. guatemalensis). The large and conspicuous bird has long been known to the native inhabitants of Mexico and was called cuauhtotomomi in Nahuatl, uagam by the Tepehuán and cumecócari by the Tarahumara. There have been no confirmed sightings of the imperial woodpecker since 1956.

Source: Wikipedia

Classification

Scientific name
Campephilus imperialis
Family
Woodpeckers
Order
Piciformes

Similar species

Other members of the woodpeckers family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.

  • Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus
  • American Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides dorsalis
  • Arizona Woodpecker Leuconotopicus arizonae
  • Black-backed Woodpecker Picoides arcticus
  • Black-cheeked Woodpecker Melanerpes pucherani
  • Chestnut-colored Woodpecker Celeus castaneus
  • Downy Woodpecker Dryobates pubescens
  • Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla
  • Gila Woodpecker Melanerpes uropygialis
  • Gilded Flicker Colaptes chrysoides
  • Golden-cheeked Woodpecker Melanerpes chrysogenys
  • Golden-fronted Woodpecker Melanerpes aurifrons

Know when the Imperial Woodpecker turns up near you

Add it to your watchlist and draw an alert zone around the places you actually bird. Birdr checks eBird reports and tells you when one is seen inside it.

How rare bird alerts work →

Gear for spotting Imperial Woodpecker

Optics

Best Binoculars for Beginners

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Cameras for Bird Photography

From phone adapters to dedicated rigs, here's what actually works for capturing birds in the field.

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Spotting Scopes for Distance Birding

Essential for shorebirds, raptors, and anything too far for binoculars. Our tested picks.

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