Gray-throated woodpecker
| Gray-throated woodpecker | ||||||||||||
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Gray-throated woodpecker (male) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Melanerpes hypopolius | ||||||||||||
| ( Wagler , 1829) |
The Graukehl Woodpecker ( Melanerpes hypopolius ) is a species of bird from the family of woodpeckers (Picidae). This small species of woodpecker is endemic to Mexico , where it is restricted to a relatively small area in the central southwest. The animals inhabit dry landscapes with few trees, bushes or large columnar cacti , as well as gallery forests that accompany rivers, if these are not inhabited by the golden-cheeked woodpecker . Gray-throated woodpeckers eat insects, which are usually preyed on from a perch in the air or on the ground, as well as fruits. The population is estimated to be stable and the species is therefore classified by the IUCN as "least concern".
description
Gray-throated woodpeckers are small woodpeckers with a relatively long, slightly chisel-shaped, pointed beak that is quite broad at the base. The ridge of the beak is bent downwards. The body length is about 19-21 cm, the weight 46-54 g. This makes them about the size of a medium- sized woodpecker , but significantly lighter. Unlike most of the species of the genus Melanerpes, the species shows only a slight sexual dimorphism in terms of coloration.
The rump and the under tail-coverts are white with black spots, dashes or arrowhead-shaped bands. The rest of the upper side, including wings and wings, is bold white or brownish-white cross-banded on a black background. The wings of the hand also show narrow white hems and tips and their white bands sometimes form a white wing spot near the base. The tail is mostly black on top. The two inner rudder springs are brightly spotted in white on the inside flags , the fifth control springs, counted from the inside, show white bands on the outside flags .
The entire underside of the trunk is predominantly monochrome gray-brown, becoming paler towards the rear. The leg fletching, the belly, the rear flanks as well as the under tail coverts show a not very distinct blackish, arrowhead-like banding. The lower wings are brown with white transverse bands, as on the upper side, the hand wings occasionally show a white spot on the lower side. The underside of the tail is a little lighter brown-black than the top.
The beak is blackish, the lower beak is a little lighter. Legs and toes are gray. The iris is reddish to brown.
In the male, the forehead is whitish to brownish white, the skull is red in the middle. The eye is bordered in black, and there are usually some red feathers under the eye. The rest of the head including the throat and the neck up to the top back are monochrome pale reddish brown to gray-brown, the back ear covers are often a little darker and the cheeks a little lighter or whitish. In the female, only the red spot on the top of the head is missing, the area is colored like the rest of the head. The intraspecies variability is very low and no subspecies are recognized.
Vocalizations
A number of variable calls are known for the species, for example a nasal “jik-a, jik-a” and purring calls like “chi-ii-ir” . Gray-throated woodpeckers drum; whether this is done by both sexes has not yet been described.
distribution and habitat
The species is endemic to Mexico , where it is restricted to a relatively small area in the central southwest. The distribution area extends over the hill country from the north of the states of Guerrero and Morelos to central Oaxaca . The total distribution area covers about 81,800 km². The animals inhabit dry landscapes with few trees, bushes or large columnar cacti, as well as gallery forests alongside rivers, if these are not inhabited by the golden-cheeked woodpecker ( Melanerpes chrysogenys ). The animals occur at altitudes between 900 and 1800 m.
nutrition
These woodpeckers eat insects such as cicadas and swarming termites as well as the fruits of cacti, and the ingestion of fruits of the genus Ziziphus , which belongs to the buckthorn family, has also been proven. Insects are mostly caught very skilfully in the air or on the ground from the hide, only rarely by poking or probing in plants or chopping in wood. The use of fruits was mainly observed by insects on windy days with little flight activity. Gray-throated woodpeckers clamp larger food objects in crevices and holes in cacti in order to then open them with their beak and also create food depots there.
Social behavior and reproduction
The species is showy and is often seen in small groups of up to 10 individuals. The group members spend a large part of the day in exposed waiting areas, often on the tips of columnar cacti or opuntia ( Opuntia sp. ). The sleeping caves are often very close together. Up to 26 birds were observed at such a common roost, with one to four individuals sleeping in the individual caves. The group defends the sleeping and breeding places against conspecifics from outside the group.
The breeding season extends from late April to July, the nest holes are built in trees and often in large cacti . Reproduction also takes place cooperatively in groups; in one case, five males and three females were observed feeding in three closely adjacent caves with young birds. So far, no information is available on clutch size, incubation period or the length of the nestling period.
Existence and endangerment
The world population was estimated by BirdLife International in 2010 to be 20,000 to 50,000 individuals and is considered stable. The species is therefore classified by the IUCN as "least concern".
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ The gray-throated woodpecker at BirdLife International . Retrieved July 25, 2010
literature
- David. L. Leonard, Jr .: Breeding and life history observations of the Gray-breasted Woodpecker (Melanerpes hypopolius). Ornitología Neotropical 11, 2000: pp. 341-348. Online, PDF
- Hans Winkler , David 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. 60-61 and 209-210.
Web links
- Melanerpes hypopolius in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2009. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2009. Accessed July 25 of 2010.
Other web links
- Videos, photos and sound recordings on Melanerpes hypopolius in the Internet Bird Collection