Spotted woodpeckers
| Spotted woodpeckers | ||||||||||
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Nubian woodpecker ( Campethera nubica ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Campethera | ||||||||||
| Gray , 1841 |
The spotted woodpeckers ( Campethera ) form a genus of birds from the subfamily real woodpeckers (Picinae) within the family woodpeckers (Picidae). These are very small to medium-sized woodpeckers, most of which look for their insect food in the middle and higher trunk and branch regions, but some species also mainly at the base of the trunk or on the ground. All 12 mainly greenish-yellow colored species occur in sub-Saharan Africa. The sexual dimorphism mainly relates to the color of the head and there in particular to the extension of the red plumage areas on the forehead, crown and neck, as well as to the extension and color of the beard. Although the distribution area of some species is relatively small and the research situation for many species is inadequate, according to the IUCN, with the exception of the Knysnaspecht , which appears as near threatened in the warning level, all other species are considered safe. The spotted woodpeckers bear their German name because of their mostly intense spotting, especially on the ventral side.
Appearance
Spotted woodpeckers are small to medium-sized woodpeckers. The smallest species, the termite woodpecker , reached 15 centimeters about the size of the domestic small woodpecker , the largest species, the Bennett's Woodpecker is good buntspecht large .
The underside of these woodpeckers is markedly darkly spotted on a pale white, yellowish or greenish yellow ground, drawn like an arrowhead or pearled . The back and top of the wings are interspersed with whitish or yellowish-white markings on an olive-green, yellow-green or greenish-brown ground of varying intensity, which can appear as continuous banding, dotted banding, undulation or irregular dots. The top of some species is largely undrawing. The upper side of the supporting tail, in which the two central feathers are somewhat elongated, corresponds to that of the rest of the upper side plumage, in some species there is a diffuse greenish-yellow or cream-colored banding. The shafts of these control feathers are often slightly yellowish, especially intense in the golden-tailed woodpecker. The underside of the control springs corresponds in color and pattern to the rest of the underside, although the dark flakes or dots tend to merge into a continuous banding. The cheeks of the relatively large head are light, in some species almost white and with varying degrees of black spots, flocked or wavy. The ear covers are clearly marked in many species by the more intense dark markings, in both sexes of the brown-eared woodpecker they are reddish-brown. Overall, the species are relatively different in terms of head color, a red beard stripe, a light or dark over-eye stripe, a dark or red rein tape can be present, but is missing in other species. The forehead, vertex and neck, which are quite steep in many species, are bright red in the males of most species. In the females these red markings are limited or absent on the neck; in their case, these areas are very dark, almost black, and often punctually interspersed with light. In the termite woodpecker, the males also only have a small red patch on their necks, while the females of this species lack any red. The chisel-like beak is rather short to medium-long, gray and mostly straight. The four-toed legs are greenish-gray, the toe arrangement is zygodactyl like all four-toed woodpeckers . The iris is reddish or reddish brown.
The sexes differ only imperceptibly in size and weight, whereas the sex dimorphism in relation to the head color is clear . In the females, the red forehead and parting of the neck is reduced to a small area on the neck or is completely absent; in some species the distinctive red stripes of the males are black in the females. Young birds of both sexes resemble colored females in terms of plumage, but are generally paler in color and less contrasted.
Vocalizations
The sound utterances are different, but mostly consist of a series of sharp and high-pitched calls as well as cheeky and also squeaking sounds, which can be reminiscent of the calls of the European wryneck or various small species of falcon. The drum rolls are usually short and rather quiet, some species, such as the Mombasa woodpecker , do not seem to drum at all.
distribution and habitat
The occurrence of this genus is restricted to sub-Saharan Africa. The different species occur extensively across the board from around 15 ° north in the west and 20 ° north in the east and southwards into the Cape Province . In this area, deserts, treeless steppe areas, wide grass savannahs and, as far as is known, high-montane mountain forests over 4000 meters are not populated. In arid areas, however, spotted woodpeckers can penetrate along flowing waters. Some species occur sympatric and then occupy different habitats in their common habitat.
Overall, the habitats of the representatives of this genus are very different, depending on the large distribution area, but areas with trees must always be present. Spotted woodpeckers breed in open, tree-lined bushland, in the acacia - euphorbia - savannah , in gallery forests and other woody trees that accompany rivers, in evergreen coastal forests and in primary and secondary forests both in the lowlands and in montane altitudes. Occasionally, they also populate suburban areas, parks, cemeteries, and plantations. Some species are the characteristic woodpeckers of the Miombo savannah.
Spotted woodpeckers occur from sea level to altitudes of over 3000 meters.
Food and subsistence
The food of the spotted woodpecker consists mainly of insects, mainly ants and termites . In addition, beetles and their wood-dwelling larvae , spiders and millipedes play a certain role, differing from species to species . It is not known whether vegetables are also part of the diet. The food is obtained primarily through searching, drilling and poking; deeper hammering is only described as an essential food acquisition strategy in the golden-tailed woodpecker. All trunk and branch regions up to the top are used. Some species, like the Bennett's Woodpecker are marked Erdspechte that capture much of their food animals on the ground, while others, such as the throat binding woodpecker looking lichen , and moss cushion in old tops field trees for prey animals.
behavior
Spotted woodpeckers are diurnal like all other woodpeckers. They are observed individually, in pairs, or in small family groups. These groups are often associated with other species of woodpecker, such as the cardinal woodpecker . All species are resident birds .
Brood
Only a few findings are available on the breeding biology of the representatives of this genus. As far as is known, spotted woodpeckers enter into a monogamous breeding partnership. They breed in self-made tree hollows, which are usually built in dead or dying trees or branches at different heights. The termite woodpecker prefers to create its burrows in the structures of tree-dwelling termites. The clutches consist of 2–5, like most cave breeders, white eggs. Both parents incubate the eggs and hover and feed the nestlings. The known nestling times are between 22 and 28 days. The tour times and the time the young birds stay in the family association are likely to be very long. Some species are extensively parasitized by different species of honey scorchers .
Systematics
According to Winkler, the genus Campethera comprises 12 species. The monotypical genus Geocolaptes is most closely related to the spotted woodpecker. The woodpeckers of the genus Picus , which also include the gray woodpecker , and which have certain similarities in color and behavior, are also closely related .
| German name | Scientific name | distribution | Hazard level Red List of IUCN |
Remarks | image |
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| Bennett Woodpecker |
Campethera bennettii ( A. Smith , 1836) |
southern Africa from southern Zaire to central South Africa ; in the west of Namibia , in the east of Mozambique |
 ( Least Concern - not at risk)
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2 subspecies Forms a superspecies with C. nubica , C. punctuligera and C. scriptoricauda |
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| Spotted Woodpecker |
Campethera punctuligera ( Wagler , 1827) |
West and Central Africa north of the equator, east to the upper reaches of the Nile |
( Least Concern - not at risk)
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2 subspecies Forms a superspecies with C. nubica , C. bennettii and C. scriptoricauda |
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| Nubian woodpecker |
Campethera nubica ( Boddaert , 1783) |
East Africa from central Sudan south to south-east Tanzania |
( Least Concern - not at risk)
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2 subspecies Forms a superspecies with C. punctuligera , C. bennettii and C. scriptoricauda |
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| Reichenow woodpecker |
Campethera scriptoricauda ( Reichenow , 1896) |
Small area in Southeast Africa; Tanzania and Mozambique |
( Least Concern - not at risk)
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monotypic Forms a super species C. punctuligera , C. bennettii and C. nubica , but is often as a subspecies of bennettii C. viewed |
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| Golden-tailed woodpecker |
Campethera abingoni ( A. Smith , 1836) |
Very large distribution area in Africa south of the equator. Distribution islands in West Africa and the Central African Republic . Northeast to southern Sudan. Largely sympatric with C. bennettii |
( Least Concern - not at risk)
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6 subspecies Forms a superspecies with C. mombassica and C. notata |
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| Mombasa Woodpecker |
Campethera mombassica ( Fischer & Reichenow , 1884) |
Very small distribution area on the coast of southern Somalia , Kenya and northern Tanzania |
( Least Concern - not at risk)
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monotypic forms a superspecies with C. abingoni and C. notata ; is often considered a subspecies of C. abingoni . |
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| Knysnaspecht |
Campethera notata ( Lichtenstein , 1823) |
Very small distribution area in the extreme south of the Cape Province |
 ( Near Threatened - potentially endangered, warning list)
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monotypical Forms a superspecies with C. abingoni and C. mombassica ; is often considered a subspecies of C. abingoni . |
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| Golden-mantled woodpecker |
Campethera maculosa ( Valenciennes , 1826) |
Coastal zone from Guinea-Bissau to Ghana |
( Least Concern - not at risk)
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monotypic Forms a superspecies with C. cailliautii , or is considered a subspecies. |
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| Spotted woodpecker |
Campethera cailliautii ( Malherbe , 1849) |
Very large distribution area in Central Africa north and south of the equator. East to the coast of the Indian Ocean. |
( Least Concern - not at risk)
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4 subspecies Makes a superspecies with C. maculosa |
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| Throatbind woodpecker |
Campethera tullbergi Sjösted , 1892 |
3 isolated populations in West Cameroon and Bioko , in Uganda and Burundi and in the highlands of Kenya. |
( Least Concern - not at risk)
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3 subspecies |
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| Termite woodpecker |
Campethera nivosa ( Swainson , 1837) |
Coastal areas of West Africa; Central Africa north and south of the equator, eastwards about to Lake Victoria |
( Least Concern - not at risk)
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4 subspecies | |
| Brown-eared woodpecker |
Campethera caroli ( Malherbe , 1852) |
Like termite woodpecker, mostly in lower areas |
( Least Concern - not at risk)
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2 subspecies |
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Stock situation
No studies are available on the stock situation of this genus. Many species of this genus seem to be regionally frequent within their range, but to occur only sparsely in other areas. Some species, such as the brown-eared woodpecker or the termite woodpecker, lead a very hidden life, so that their presence often goes unnoticed. The IUCN only lists the Knysnaspecht in the early warning stage, although this species is still quite common in its range. This rating is justified with the small extent of the distribution area and its diverse endangerment by human interference.
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Individual evidence
- ↑ data sheet BirdLife international pdf engl.
- ↑ Winkler et al. (1995) p. 232
- ↑ Winkler et al. (1995) p. 236
- ↑ Winkler et al. (1995) pp. 226-237
- ↑ Winkler et al. (1995) pp. 226-237
- ↑ Jérôme Fuchs, Jan I. Ohlson, Per GP Ericson, Eric Pasquet: Synchronous intercontinental splits between assemblages of woodpeckers suggested by molecular data. Zoologica Scripta 36, No. 1, 2007: pp. 11-25
- ↑ DM Webb, WS Moore: A phylogenetic analysis of woodpeckers and their allies using 12S, nCyt b, and COI nucleotide sequences (class Aves; order Piciformes). In: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 36 (2005) 233-248
- ↑ data sheet C. notata BirdLife International pdf engl
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. 11, 70-77 and 226-237.
