Red-crowned Woodpecker (Melanerpes rubricapillus) [XC312366]
by Hans Matheve from Isla Salamanca NNP, Sitionuevo, Magdalena, Colombia (drumming)
Red-crowned Woodpecker (Melanerpes rubricapillus) [XC700770]
by Rolf A. de By from El Valle de Ant\u00f3n, Cocl\u00e9 Province, Panama (song)
Subspecies
Forms a superspecies with Yucatan Woodpecker (Melanerpes pygmaeus), and sometimes treated as conspecific, but geographical isolation, combined with minor morphological differences, supports allospecies treatment. Hybridizes with Hoffmann's Woodpecker (Melanerpes hoffmannii) in central Costa Rica. Rather variable with the population of south-western Costa Rica described as subspecies costaricensis, but now considered indistinguishable from nominate. Relatively large and dark birds from Margarita I, north-eastern Venezuela and Tobago named as subspecies terricolor, but identical individuals occur in other parts of species' range. In addition, subspecies paraguanae may be invalid, as some individuals in eastern parts of range exhibit similar characteristics. Name "wagleri", originally applied to birds from Panama, is junior synonym of rubricapillus.
The following 4 subspecies are recognised:
rubricapillus (Cabanis, 1862) - South-western Costa Rica east to northern and central Colombia, Venezuela (except south), Tobago, western Guyana and coastal Surinam.
subfusculus (Wetmore, 1957) - Coiba I (south-western Panama).
seductus Bangs, 1901 - San Miguel I (south-eastern Panama).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet