Great spotted woodpecker

Great spotted woodpecker
	Great spotted woodpecker ( Melanerpes chrysauchen ) male
Systematics
Class :	Birds (aves)
Order :	Woodpecker birds (Piciformes)
Family :	Woodpeckers (Picidae)
Subfamily :	Real woodpeckers (Picinae)
Genre :	Melanerpes
Type :	Great spotted woodpecker
Scientific name
	Melanerpes chrysa smoking
	Salvin , 1871

Drawing above males below females

The golden-naped woodpecker ( Melanerpes chrysauchen ) is a species of bird from the family of woodpeckers (Picidae). This small species of woodpecker is endemic to Panama and Costa Rica and mainly inhabits the dense tropical rainforest , but also forest edges and even semi-open areas with only loose trees. The food, which is mainly sought at medium height and in the crowns of trees, consists mainly of wood-dwelling beetles and their larvae, swarming termites and other insects as well as fruits. The species is common and is classified by the IUCN as “least concern”.

description

Buntkopfspechte are small woodpeckers with a long, pointed beak that is quite broad at the base. The ridge of the beak is bent downwards. The body length is about 17-18 cm, the weight 45-68 g; they are much smaller, but about as heavy as a middle woodpecker . Like most woodpecker species, the species shows a clear sexual dimorphism in terms of coloration , females are also somewhat smaller and more short-beaked than males.

The middle and lower back as well as the rump are white, often with a pale red-brownish tone. The rest of the top of the trunk, the shoulder feathers and the upper wing-coverts are largely monochrome black with a blue sheen; the upper back shows a white line in the middle. The wings are brownish black on top with short white bands on the inside flags . The tail top is black, the outer control springs often show one or two white napkins or pads. The lower throat and chest are washed out grayish olive brown, the middle of the abdomen is orange-red. The rest of the underside of the torso, the flanks, the leg fletching and the under tail-coverts are strongly banded like arrowheads on a pale brownish white background. The wings are brownish underneath, the under wing-coverts more blackish, both parts are broadly banded with white. The underside of the tail is brownish black.

The beak is black, slightly lightened at the base. Legs and toes are gray, occasionally with a shade of green or brown. The iris is brown.

In the male, the forehead is golden yellow, the upper head is red in the middle, the back of the head and neck are golden yellow again. Behind the eye there is a short black stripe over the eyes with white dashes. A strong black eye stripe begins in front of the eye and runs, encircling the eye below and above, over the upper ear covers backwards along the rear sides of the neck to the upper back. The other sides of the head, like the chin and upper throat, are monochrome white with a distinct gray-brownish tone on the back of the head and the throat. In the female, the golden yellow forehead is extended to the front of the skull. The red drawing on the top of the head is missing, the head is monochrome black in this area and only occasionally interspersed with a few red feather tips.

Vocalizations

A number of calls are known for the species, including a reverberant "Tschurr" and a short, loud, rattling or laughing trill that is quickly repeated three to five times at the same pitch. The young birds' begging cry is a squeaky hum. Both sexes occasionally drum.

Systematics

Subspecies are no longer recognized for the species. Formerly considered a subspecies of the Buntkopf woodpecker jewelry Woodpecker ( Melanerpes pulcher ) is now considered a separate species.

distribution and habitat

This species of woodpecker is endemic to southwestern Costa Rica and western Panama . The size of the total distribution area is estimated at only about 15,300 km². The species predominantly inhabits the dense tropical rainforest , but also forest edges up to semi-open areas with only a loose tree population. The animals come from the lowlands up to 1200 m altitude, locally also up to 1500 m.

nutrition

The food that is sought in mid-height and in the crowns of trees mainly on dead trunks and branches consists primarily of wood-dwelling beetles and their larvae, swarming termites and other insects and fruits. Food is obtained primarily by chopping and hammering. Whole-headed woodpeckers also regularly hunt insects in the air from their hide; especially on damp evenings, they do this with great skill over the treetops.

Reproduction

Great spotted woodpeckers breed in solitary pairs, the breeding season extends from March to June. The caves are usually created in thick, dead trunks at heights between 5 and 30 m. Often several caves are started before finally one is selected as a breeding cave, the completion of which can be completed in 14 days. The clutch contains three to four eggs that are incubated by both partners. During this time, males and females also sleep together in the brood cavity. The nestlings are fed by both parents and fly out after 33–34 days. The young birds are cared for for up to 3 months after they have fled and then sleep with their parents in a shared cave until the beginning of the next breeding season. There are seldom two broods in one season, in such cases a young bird of the first brood occasionally participates as an assistant in the incubation of the eggs and the feeding of the nestlings of the second brood and then sleeps in the brood cavity.

Existence and endangerment

There is no information on the size of the world population, but the species is considered common in its range. It is classified as safe (“least concern”) by the IUCN .

swell

Individual evidence

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. 58-59 and 203-204.

Web links

Melanerpes chrysauchen in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2009. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2009. Retrieved on 5 February, 2010.