Brown-eared woodpecker
| Brown-eared woodpecker | ||||||||||
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Brown-eared woodpecker ( Campethera caroli ) |
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| Campethera caroli | ||||||||||
| ( Malherbe , 1852) |
The Braun ear Woodpecker ( Campethera caroli ) is a species of bird from the family of woodpeckers (Picidae). This small species of woodpecker inhabits western Central Africa and small areas in West Africa. It inhabits primarily the tropical rainforest of the lowlands, but also dense secondary forest, forest, bush and grass landscapes composed like a mosaic and, more rarely, gallery forests that accompany rivers . The food sought in the entire tree layer consists mainly of ants and other insects and their larvae.
The species is rarely to locally abundant. The population is probably declining, but the brown-eared woodpecker is still classified by the IUCN as 
(= least concern - not endangered).
description
Brown-eared woodpeckers are small and overall very dark woodpeckers with quite long bills that are narrow at the base. The ridge of the beak is bent downwards. The body length is about 18 cm, the weight 50-68 g, they are slightly smaller and significantly lighter than a great spotted woodpecker . The species shows a not very conspicuous sexual dimorphism in terms of coloration .
In males of the nominate form , the upper side including the rump , upper tail-coverts and upper wing coverts is almost monochrome green. The upper back usually shows a bronze tone and is occasionally indistinctly spotted yellow. The rump and tail-coverts are often spotted white. The wings are brown with green borders and lightly banded. On the bases of the inner flags , the light bands are wide and often merge into a light field. The top of the tail is blackish with green edges, the outer control feathers are banded or spotted with greenish tones. The entire underside of the trunk is strongly beige-whitish spotted on an olive-colored to dark green background, towards the tail the speckling becomes more like a bandage. The lower wings are yellowish white, the under tail is yellowish black.
Forehead, upper and back of the head are olive to blackish olive; the feathers on the back of the head have short red tips, the feathers on the back of the head have broad red tips. The ear covers are brown. A narrow beige and olive dashed over-eye stripe begins at the rear edge of the eye and runs back around the ear covers. The sides of the neck and nape are olive green with light speckles; The reins, chin and throat are spotted whitish beige on an olive ground. This whitish color is often green from pollution.
The upper beak is gray-black, the lower beak shows an olive or greenish tone. Legs and toes are grayish to olive yellow. The iris is reddish to brown, the eye ring greyish to olive.
In the female only the red head parts are missing; like the rest of the head, these areas are olive to blackish olive.
Vocalizations
The most frequent call is an indistinct "kwaa-kwaa-kwaa" , further calls are apparently not known so far.
Systematics
Winkler et al. recognize two quite well differentiated subspecies:
- Campethera caroli caroli ( Malherbe , 1852) - Largest part of the range. The subspecies is described above.
- Campethera caroli arizelus ( Oberholser , 1899) - Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone to the Ivory Coast . Upper side less bronze-yellow than in the nominate form and more dark olive. Underside less spotted, there are three spots per feather, five in the nominate form.
distribution and habitat
The apparently disjoint distribution area of the brown-eared woodpecker includes several small areas in West Africa and western Central Africa. In West Africa, the species occurs in Guinea-Bissau , from Sierra Leone to the Ivory Coast, as well as in Benin and southern Nigeria . The much larger Central African area extends in a west-east direction from Cameroon to the southwest of Sudan , Uganda and western Kenya . To the south, the distribution extends to the north-west of Angola , the central south of Zaire , north-west Zambia , west Burundi , Rwanda and north-west Tanzania . The species may be even more widespread. The size of the total distribution area is estimated at 3.39 million km².
The species primarily inhabits the tropical rainforest of the lowlands, but also dense secondary forest, forest, bush and grass landscapes composed like a mosaic and, more rarely, gallery forests that accompany rivers . The animals stay below 1800 m altitude.
Way of life
Brown-eared woodpeckers are shy and not very conspicuous, so they are often overlooked. They occasionally join mixed flocks of birds. The food sought in the entire tree layer consists mainly of ants and other insects and their larvae. Food objects are obtained by hammering, probing and reading.
The species breeds between August and February, the burrows are created in trees. The clutches contain two to three eggs; further information on the brood biology is not yet available.
Existence and endangerment
Information on the size of the world population is not available. The species is rarely to locally abundant. Due to the ongoing destruction of the primary rainforests, the population is likely to decline, but the brown-eared woodpecker is still classified by the IUCN as "least concern".
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ 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. 237
- ↑ The Brown-eared Woodpecker at BirdLife International (Online, accessed April 4, 2011)
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. 76-77 and 236-237.
Web links
- Campethera caroli in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2009. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2009. Accessed April 4, 2011th
Other web links
- Videos, photos and sound recordings about Campethera caroli in the Internet Bird Collection