Carolinian Woodpecker
| Carolinian Woodpecker | ||||||||||||
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Carolinian woodpecker ♂ ( Melanerpes carolinus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Melanerpes carolinus | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The Carolinaspecht ( Melanerpes carolinus ) is a member of the genus Melanerpes within the subfamily of the real woodpeckers (Picinae). The slightly over-sized, active, and showy woodpecker is quite common in the eastern and central US . In the last few decades it has been able to expand its breeding area to the north and west. Four subspecies are often mentioned, but they are not generally recognized.
Appearance and likelihood of confusion
Carolinian woodpeckers , with the zebra-like striped upper side typical of many species of Melanerpes , the washed-out gray-brown underside that is largely unmarked, and the red head markings are striking and contrasting in color. The lower wing cover feathers also have fine black and white stripes. The distinctive and only noticeable color dimorphism is the color of the head and neck. In males, the entire top of the head, the crown and the nape of the head are colored light rust-red; in females only the rear parting and the neck, as well as a small area above the base of the beak. The history field is isabel-colored to gray-brown, often slightly reddish, as if covered with brick dust, the iris is dark purple, the beak gray-black. The four-toed legs are relatively light greenish gray. The eponymous red belly spot ("Red-bellied Woodpecker") is located in both sexes on the lower abdomen, almost on the rump and is usually not visible in the field. In addition to the different color of the head, females have a second, usually noticeable gender difference, individually differently pronounced black flakes on the lower abdominal flanks. The middle feathers of the long support tail are mostly white, as is the rump - the outer tail feathers and the clearly two-part tail tip, on the other hand, are black; only the outer flags of the outermost control feathers again have larger white sections.
The first youth dress is very similar to the female plumage, but the red markings are even more indistinct and smaller and more orange than red in color. With the autumn moult, the young birds change to adult plumage and are then indistinguishable from older field ornithologically.
Carolinian woodpeckers are on average about 24 centimeters long, the weight average is 75 grams; Males appear to be up to ten percent heavier than females on average.
The Carolinaspecht is unmistakable in large areas of its distribution area. Only in some regions of Texas and Oklahoma do its breeding areas overlap with those of the similarly colored golden-fronted woodpecker . In this one, however, the reddish markings are smaller and more orange (in females exclusively golden yellow), the tail is black, while the rump and upper tail feathers are pure white. The breeding areas of the similarly colored Gilaspechts do not touch those of the Carolinaspechten.
voice
The Carolinian Woodpecker is acoustically very noticeable throughout the year; however, the peak of the vocal presence is in late winter and early spring. A characteristic call is a repeatedly explosively emitted, somewhat clucking and vibrating sounding, high and high- pitched Quiierr , which is uttered in both territorial and sexually motivated situations. Frequently, mostly during the flight, a row of jay-like cha ... cha ... cha can be heard. In late winter and spring, the males in particular drum intensely - the vertebrae are not fast and with a maximum of 15 elements are quite short; the first attacks are often clearly separated from the following.
Distribution, habitat and territoriality
The Carolinian woodpecker is a common breeding bird in the eastern half of the United States. The western border of the breeding area is east of 100 ° west, but occasionally it penetrates further west along wooded rivers. In the north-east are the northernmost breeding grounds in southern Ontario . Central Texas is reached in the southwest. Currently, the species can enlarge its breeding area in the north and west and fill gaps in the distribution throughout the range.
In this large area of distribution, the Carolinaspecht is represented almost everywhere from the coastal level to the low mountain ranges of the Appalachians . Breeding occurrences above 1000 meters seem to be very rare. The highest distribution densities are found in the wet forests of the Mississippi lowlands , in the south-east bordering regions, and along the south-east Atlantic coast, while the northern and western expansion areas are significantly less populated. The species has not yet penetrated the coniferous forest-dominated foothills of the eastern Rocky Mountains . Carolinian woodpeckers are very adaptable and flexible in their choice of habitat, but old, light deciduous forests, often in extremely damp locations, are preferred. A clear preference of a species can not be determined: Carolina woodpeckers nest in forests where oaks , hickories , maples and hackberry are the dominant tree species. In the southwest, the species is also found in loose oak-pine mixed forests. Even in completely open landscapes, where only telegraph poles offer suitable nesting sites, this species of woodpecker can occasionally be found as a breeding bird. It is not uncommon for them to breed in large parks, cemeteries or golf courses. The males occupy and defend territories throughout the year, the size of which ranges from about 4 to over 20 hectares. Little is known about female territories.
Regularly detectable wandering movements were not observed; the northernmost breeding areas can, however, be cleared by larger populations in very severe winters, and eruptive migration movements, which mainly follow a mass supply of maple seeds, also take place.
Food and subsistence
Carolinian woodpeckers are largely omnivore food generalists . Quantitative analyzes of the total amount of food resulted in about two thirds of vegetable and one third of animal food. Insects and insect larvae predominate among animal food; In addition, however, eggs and nestlings, more rarely small mammals, lizards - especially anoles species - and tree frogs are also regularly captured. The vegetarian diet consists of nuts, acorns, maple and pine seeds, fruits of all kinds and berries. The Carolinian woodpecker appears regularly in ringed areas of other woodpeckers. This species of woodpecker has also been observed on alluvial fish carcasses.
Most of the food is consumed in the trunk and branch area; it is less common to see the species searching for food on the ground. Poking, systematic searching of the trunk and branch surfaces as well as drilling in cracks and crevices are the most common techniques in the acquisition of food, but also deep chopping and prying away of larger bark sections occur. Fruit is usually picked directly from the branch, often hanging upside down on the branch. Carolinian woodpeckers often go to feeding places and nectar dispensers and are not very shy.
Breeding biology
Carolinians have a largely monogamous seasonal partnership. Due to the great loyalty to the breeding site of both sexes, mating of last year's partners is common. The most important courtship ritual seems to be the male's cave-pointing, in which he tries to impress a female with loud territorial calls, drum sequences and ritualized knocking. If a female agrees to the cave system that has been started or completed, she confirms this by sitting down at the cave entrance or slipping into the cave and knocking slowly and quietly in a ritualized manner.
The nest cavity is usually created in a dead tree stump or on the underside of a strong, dead branch. Even wooden structures of any kind, provided they are in a certain state of decay, can be chosen as a cave location. When caves are cut into living wood, they are always tree species with very soft wood, such as poplar or willow . Carolinian woodpeckers seem to start a new burrow every year, but often use good breeding caves for several years. New caves are often created below old ones, so that established cave trees can have a number of breeding caves. Both partners are involved in the cave construction, but the male does most of the work. Depending on the nature of the wood, a new cave can be completed within two weeks. The slightly oblong oval entrance measures over five centimeters in diameter.
The earliest breeding start in the entire distribution area is April; in the northern and western part of the distribution there is usually only one annual brood, in the south two, in exceptional cases even three. Additional clutches are common in caves, eggs or nestling losses. The laying period for second and third clutches in the southeastern breeding areas extends into late August.
4–5 (3–6) long oval, matt, glossy, white eggs with an average size of 25 × 19 millimeters are placed on the loose wood chip board at daily intervals, which both parents incubate for about 12-14 days from the penultimate egg. As with most woodpeckers, the female breeds more frequently during the day, but only the male breeds during the night. The nestling time, during which both parents take care of the young with food carried in their beak, is about 26 days. After flying out, the young birds follow their parents for a while, usually divided into two groups; if subsequent broods are to be expected, the lead times are relatively short with a maximum of three weeks; in the case of final broods, it can last up to two months. There is also a clear increase in the duration of the tour from south to north regionally.
No reliable data is available on youth dismigration .
Systematics
Today the species is considered to be monotypical, although three other subspecies have been described in addition to the nominate form: M. c. perplexus (Burleigh and Lowery, 1944) in South Florida and the Florida Keys , M. c. harpaceus (Koelz, 1954) in Central and East Texas , and M. c. zebra (Boddaert, 1783) in southern Canada and the northwesternmost distribution areas. Considerable individual color differences, however, raise doubts as to the justification of these subspecies; In general, it can only be said that most birds east of the Mississippi are on average slightly smaller, appear darker on the upper side and that the red belly spot is a little more pronounced in many of them than in the western and southwestern populations.
Molecular biological investigations into the exact relationship of M. carolinus are not yet available. It is assumed that the nine types of Melanerpes with black and white stripes on the top are closely related to one another; these are also occasionally separated from the remaining Melanerpes , grouped together in the genus Centurus . It is unclear whether reports from the most south-westerly distribution areas about hybridizations between the Carolinian woodpecker and the golden-fronted woodpecker are true and is doubted due to the very different habitat structures of these two woodpecker species.
Inventory and inventory development
The Carolinian woodpecker is currently not endangered. The total population is estimated to be around 10 million individuals. The species is becoming more common in large parts of its range, with the north-easternmost states of the USA recording the greatest population increases. Climate influences and increasingly widespread winter feeding are discussed as reasons for this north and north-west spread.
literature
- David Sibley: Birds of Eastern North America. Christopher Helm, London 2003, ISBN 0-7136-6657-9
- Clifford E. Shackelford, Raymond E. Brown, and Richard N. Conner: Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) . In: The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, ed.); Ithaca 2000. Retrieved from the Birds of North America species / 500 (BNA)
- Hans Winkler , David Christie and David Nurney: Woodpeckers. A Guide to Woodpeckers, Piculets, and Wrynecks of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge 1995, ISBN 0-395-72043-5 .
Single receipts
Web links
- Videos, photos and sound recordings on Melanerpes carolinus in the Internet Bird Collection
- Melanerpes carolinus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2010. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2009. Accessed August 21 of 2010.