The validity of subspecies M. r. paraguanae has been challenged, and some other subspecies have been proposed but not accepted as valid.Winkler, H. and D. A. Christie (2020). Red-crowned Woodpecker (Melanerpes rubricapillus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.recwoo1.01 retrieved January 19, 2023
