Haitian woodpecker
| Haitian woodpecker | ||||||||||
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Haitian woodpecker ( Melanerpes striatus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Melanerpes striatus | ||||||||||
| ( Statius Müller , 1776) |
The Haiti Woodpecker ( Melanerpes striatus ) is a species of bird from the family of woodpeckers (Picidae). It is endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola and the uninhabited Isla Beata south of it .
description
The animals have a body length of 20 to 24 cm. The back is cross-banded yellow-black. The head and cheeks are gray, with the exception of the forehead and crown, the belly is yellowish or ocher in color. The top of the tail is black, the rump is red. Males reach a weight of 83 to 92 g, females remain lighter at 65 to 75 g. Like many woodpeckers, the species shows a clear sexual dimorphism . The female's beak is up to 21% shorter than that of the male. In addition, the forehead and vertex are red in males and black in females.
habitat
The Haiti woodpecker inhabits swamp forests, mangroves and dry scrubland in the lowlands as well as moist mountain forests. It is particularly common in man-made cultural landscapes, on trees and palm trees on the outskirts of villages and towns.
nutrition
The Haiti woodpecker feeds on insects, especially beetles . In addition, be butterflies , ants , spiders , scorpions , small lizards (z. B. Anolis ), fruits and seeds eaten. The birds look for their food alone, in pairs and on fruiting trees in large groups. The food is primarily sought at heights of 7 to 20 m. Birds often hang upside down to reach fruits or the cones of pine trees. Males have a different prey-seeking behavior than the females and use their beak twice as often to chop, often to cut wood.
Reproduction
Haitian woodpeckers breed all year round, but the main breeding season is February to July. They breed individually or in colonies with 3 to 26 occupied cavities in one to three trees standing together. The dominant pairs nest in the highest caves. The caves are built by both sexes, but especially by the male, at a height of 2 to 11 m, mainly in dead trees, but also in dead and living palms, columnar cacti and telegraph poles. The nest cavity has a diameter of 7 to 9 cm. The clutch consists of 4 to 6 eggs, the breeding and nestling times are not documented. The young birds are fed by both sexes, every 6 to 8 minutes on average.
Relationship to people
In the Dominican Republic , the Haiti woodpecker is causing damage to cocoa plantations . He hacked holes in the shell of the fruit by which the seeds to eat surrounding flesh, which pests and microorganisms from entering. A study on the harmful effects of the Haitian woodpecker showed that 3.5 to 3.7% of the fruits examined were damaged.
Web links
- Videos, photos, and sound recordings of Melanerpes striatus in the Internet Bird Collection
- Melanerpes striatus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2010. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2009. Accessed August 21 of 2010.
literature
- Josep del Hoyo et al. a .: Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 7: Jacamars To Woodpeckers. Lynx Edicions, 1992, ISBN 8487334377 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Richard L. Bruggers: Aspects of woodpecker damage to cacao in the Dominican Republic. International Journal of Pest Management, Volume 31, Issue 2, 1985: pp. 148-152 Abstract, English