Melanerpes

Melanerpes is a genus of woodpeckers of the family Picidae found in the Americas. The 23 members of the genus are mostly colourful birds, conspicuously barred in black and white, with some red and yellow.

==Taxonomy== The genus Melanerpes was introduced by the English ornithologist William Swainson in 1832 to accommodate the red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus). The generic name combines the Ancient Greek melas meaning "black" with herpēs meaning "creeper". The genus forms part of the large tribe Melanerpini, which also includes the North American sapsuckers in the genus Sphyrapicus and the monotypic genus Xiphidiopicus containing only the Cuban green woodpecker (Xiphidiopicus percussus).