Birds & Birding in Costa Rica: – Costa Rica’s national motto and tourism slogan, “La Pura Vida” loosely translates to Live Life or Enjoy Life. With over 900 bird species recorded in Costa Rica, there is certainly lots to enjoy! With 12 of the world’s 18 life zones, its diverse landscapes, including tropical rainforests, cloud forests, mangroves, and savannas, provide habitat for a wide range of iconic birds A Reflections of the Natural World Blog Post Series by Jim Gain
ABOUT THIS SPECIES
BLACK-CHEEKED WOODPECKER – (Species Account Blog #117)
TAXONOMIC TREE:
- ORDER: Piciformes – Woodpeckers, Barbets, Toucans and Honeyguides
- FAMILY: Picidae – Woodpeckers,
- BINOMIAL NAME: Melanerpes pucherani
This woodpecker occupies a reasonably broad range, principally over the Caribbean slope of Middle America, where it is found from southern Mexico south to Panama, thence south through the Pacific lowlands of northwest South America to western Ecuador. (from Birds of the World)
GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION
PERSONAL OBSERVATION ANECDOTES
In Costa Rica we observed Black-cheeked Woodpeckers several times in low to mid-elevation areas from Rancho Naturalista to Sarapiquí to Arenal.
PHOTO GALLERY
**Some of these Photo Gallery images (all taken by me) have been taken in other nearby countries.
RECENT BLOG POSTS
View the five most recent Birds & Birding in Costa Rica series blog posts below.
- A Streak-headed Woodcreeper Feeds its Offspring Near the Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica
- PALE-BILLED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
- SMOKY-BROWN WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
- HOFFMANN’S WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
- BLACK-CHEEKED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
Reflections of the Natural World 
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