Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition!  Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.

Endemic Bird of the Day: Guadeloupe Woodpecker

The Guadeloupe Woodpecker is a stunning bird found just on the island of Guadeloupe and no other islands in the Guadeloupe archipelago. Its plumage is entirely black except for a reddish hue on the  chest. The male is a little bigger than the female and the birds even vary in size within the island. The birds found on the peaks of Basse-Terre are a little bigger than those of Grande-Terre. They are 25–29 cm long and weigh 70 to 96 g.

The Guadeloupe Woodpecker is found from sea level to around 1,000 meters, in all types of forest habitat including humid forest, swamp forest, mangrove, and semi-deciduous forest. They are monogamous and pairs remain in their territory throughout the year. They mainly feed on insect larvae but will also consume fruit and even take small vertebrates. When breeding season arrives, the woodpeckers excavate a cavity in a dead tree in order to nest and lay 3 to 5 white eggs. After 15 days, the eggs hatch. The young fledge in about a month but juveniles spend several months with their parents.

This large dark Melanerpes woodpecker, is the singular endemic bird of the Lesser Antillean island of Guadeloupe. However, this was not always the case. Before their extinction in the 18th century, Guadeloupe was home to three other endemic birds: Guadeloupe Parrot Amazona violacea, Guadeloupe Parakeet Psittacara labati, and the Lesser Antillean Macaw Ara guadeloupensis. Habitat loss and fragmentation (especially the removal of dead trees), and predation by rats are the biggest threats for the Guadeloupe Woodpecker. Thankfully, its IUCN status was amended from Near Threatened to Least Concern in 2019 and the bird is legally protected. Continued protection of this species and conservation of its habitats will help ensure that this beautiful species survives for future generations to enjoy! Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.

Colour in the Guadeloupe Woodpecker!

Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest

Listen to the call of the Guadeloupe Woodpecker

The Guadeloupe Woodpecker’s call is a wa-uh or wa-ah and a staccato cht-cht-cht-cht-cht-cht-cht-cht.

Puzzle of the Day

Click on the image below to do the puzzle.  You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8,  or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!

Activity of the Day

FOR KIDS & ADULTS: 

Let’s celebrate moms AND endemic birds! Mother’s Day is this weekend on May 10th and we’ve got you covered. We have two styles of endemic bird-themed Mother’s Day Cards to download and color. This is a fun activity for people of all ages to celebrate the mother figure in their life.

Each page has two cards on them (Bahama Woodstar and Black-crowned Palm-Tanager). Please download and print in the paper size you normally use: US Letter or A4 Size. It’s best to use card stock, but regular printer paper will do just fine. Once printed, fold the sheet in half (so the short sides touch) then cut along the fold. Now, you will have two cards to fold and color. Don’t forget to write a special message on the inside!