NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Lewis' Woodpecker
Melanerpes lewis (G. R. Gray, 1849)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Lewis's woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) is a large North American species of woodpecker which ornithologist Alexander Wilson named after Meriwether Lewis. Lewis was one of the explorers who surveyed the areas bought by the United States of America as part of the Louisiana Purchase and first described this species of bird.
Wikipedia contributors, Lewis's woodpecker; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:31:29.618150+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Melanerpes lewis (G. R. Gray, 1849)
- Name authority
- (G. R. Gray, 1849)
- Common name
- Lewis' Woodpecker
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Picidae
- Genus
- Melanerpes
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPiciformes
- familyPicidae
- subfamilyPicinae
- genusMelanerpes Swainson, 1832
- speciesMelanerpes lewis (G. R. Gray, 1849)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Melanerpes. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Golden-fronted WoodpeckerMelanerpes aurifrons (Wagler, 1829) | PicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-fronted WoodpeckerMelanerpes cactorum (d'Orbigny, 1840) | PicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Golden-naped WoodpeckerMelanerpes chrysauchen Salvin, 1870 | PicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Golden-cheeked WoodpeckerMelanerpes chrysogenys (Vigors, 1839) | PicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yellow-tufted WoodpeckerMelanerpes cruentatus (Boddaert, 1783) | PicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yellow-fronted WoodpeckerMelanerpes flavifrons (Vieillot, 1818) | PicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Acorn WoodpeckerMelanerpes formicivorus (Swainson, 1827) | PicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Puerto Rican WoodpeckerMelanerpes portoricensis (Daudin, 1803) | PicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-cheeked WoodpeckerMelanerpes pucherani (Malherbe, 1849) | PicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yucatan WoodpeckerMelanerpes pygmaeus (Ridgway, 1885) | PicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Jamaican WoodpeckerMelanerpes radiolatus (Wagler, 1827) | PicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-crowned WoodpeckerMelanerpes rubricapillus (Cabanis, 1862) | PicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Asyndesmus lewis (G. R. Gray, 1849) (G. R. Gray, 1849) | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=178196 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3Z72L. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.