Blond woodpecker

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Blond woodpecker
Blond-headed woodpecker, male of the nominate form Celeus f. flavescens

Blond-headed woodpecker , male of the nominate form Celeus f. flavescens

Systematics
Order : Woodpecker birds (Piciformes)
Family : Woodpeckers (Picidae)
Subfamily : Real woodpeckers (Picinae)
Genre : Celeus
Type : Blond woodpecker
Scientific name
Celeus flavescens
( Gmelin , 1788)

The blond-crested woodpecker ( Celeus flavescens ), occasionally tufted woodpecker called, is a species from the family of woodpeckers (Picidae). This small to medium-sized and contrastingly colored woodpecker has a large distribution area in central eastern South America . The species inhabits a wide range of dense and loosened forest types including moist forests, savannahs , gallery forests and caatinga to orchards. Apparently she prefers forest edges. Little is known about the way of life of the blond woodpecker. Most of the food that is sought on trees, but also on the ground, consists largely of ants and termites , and fruits and berries are also eaten.

The species is considered to be quite common, the world population is considered stable and no serious threats are currently recognizable. The blond-headed woodpecker is therefore classified by the IUCN as LC IUCN 3 1st svg(= least concern - not endangered).

description

Blond woodpeckers are small to medium-sized, high-contrast colored woodpeckers with a long crest. The beak is of medium length, almost pointed, curved downwards at the ridge and relatively narrow at the base. The body length is about 25–30 cm, the weight 110–165 g. This makes these woodpeckers smaller and slightly lighter than a green woodpecker . The species shows a clear sexual dimorphism in terms of coloration .

In males of the nominate form C. f. flavescens are the upper and middle back as well as the shoulder feathers black with narrow white banding. The lower back, rump and upper tail covers are monochrome beige-white or light yellow, the upper tail covers occasionally show black bandages for this reason. The upper wing-coverts are black with white tips, hems and bands. The wings are also black with narrow white bands, while the black umbrella feathers show wide white diagonal bands and large white tips. The upper tail is almost monochrome black, only the outermost pair of control springs is lined or banded in white.

The underside of the trunk is black, flanks and under tail coverts often show an indicated light or even red-brown banding for this reason. The leg fletching is light yellow or beige with black dashes and spots. The lower wings are colored like the upper side of the wing, but the lower wing covers are tinted beige. The lower tail is colored like the upper tail, but less strong.

The head including chin and throat as well as the neck are almost monochrome, light creamy beige to yellowish white, only the broad stripe of beard is red. This red coloring is sometimes extended under the eyes and occasionally the front forehead is also red.

Female blond woodpecker

The bill is horn-colored or bluish-gray to black, the lower bill is lighter and more ivory in color. Legs and toes are blue-gray. The iris is red or red-brown, the eye ring is blue-gray.

Females lack the red stripe of beard, this is dashed in black.

Vocalizations

Several calls are known. These include a pervasive “tsew tsew tsew-tsew, wee-wee-week” or “wheep-wheep” , an aggressive “ttirr” and a shrill “wicket wicket” . The kind drums softly.

distribution and habitat

This woodpecker has a wide range in central eastern South America . The area of ​​the species extends in the east of Brazil from the south of the lower Amazon and the Rio Tocantins to the south to the southeast of Mato Grosso and to Rio Grande do Sul , to the west to Paraguay and to the Argentine province of Misiones . The size of the total distribution area is estimated at 3.7 million km².

The species inhabits a wide range of dense and loosened forest types such as moist forests, savannas , gallery forests and caatinga to orchards. Apparently she prefers forest edges.

Systematics

Winkler et al. recognize three subspecies, two of which are very clearly differentiated and the third mediates between these two:

  • Celeus f. flavescens ( Gmelin , 1788) - east Paraguay and Brazil east to Rio de Janeiro and further south. The nominate form is described above.
  • Celeus f. ochraceus ( Spix , 1824) - Lower reaches of the Amazon and eastern Brazil to the south to Bahia . Smaller and less strongly built than the nominate shape, overall with less black. The head is more beige or cinnamon in color, occasionally with a lot of black around the eyes. The back and upper wing-coverts are much more extensive cinnamon beige with black dots and heart-shaped spots. The rump is darker, sometimes even cinnamon-colored, and drawn black. The light wing bands are wider and more cinnamon-beige. The underside of the fuselage is more smoky gray, the feathers often show beige-cinnamon-colored hems and the flanks are usually extensive cinnamon beige. The subspecies apparently forms mixed types with the nominate form in the east of Brazil.
  • Celeus f. intercedens Hellmayr , 1908 - From the west of Bahia to the south to Minas Gerais . In size, coloring and drawing between the two previous subspecies, but not very variable. Light plumage areas whitish to beige-white with narrow, irregular, black banding on the upper side, black underside, wings often slightly red-brown.

According to Winkler et al. The blond-headed woodpecker forms a super species with the chestnut woodpecker ( Celeus castaneus ), the pale-headed woodpecker ( Celeus elegans ) and the pale-headed woodpecker ( Celeus lugubris ).

Way of life

Little is known about the way of life of the blond woodpecker. These woodpeckers are found in pairs or in small family groups. Most of the food sought on trees, but also on the ground, consists to a large extent of ants and termites , and fruits and berries are also regularly eaten. The food is often obtained on thin branches by reading and probing, especially on dead branches by chopping and hammering.

Broods were observed in Argentina in October and November, in eastern Brazil between April and June. The caves are created in the cardboard nests of tree-dwelling ants. Further information on the breeding biology is not yet available.

Existence and endangerment

There is no reliable information on the size of the world population. The species is considered to be quite common, the world population is considered stable and no serious threats are currently recognizable. The IUCN therefore classifies the blond-headed woodpecker as safe ("least concern").

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Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b The blond-headed woodpecker at BirdLife International . Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  2. ^ A b Hans Winkler, David A. Christie and David Nurney: Woodpeckers. A Guide to the Woodpeckers, Piculets, and Wrynecks of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge 1995: p. 333

literature

  • Hans Winkler , David A. Christie and David Nurney: Woodpeckers. A Guide to the Woodpeckers, Piculets, and Wrynecks of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge 1995, ISBN 0-395-72043-5 , pp. 128-129 and 333.

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