Hoffmann Woodpecker

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Hoffmann Woodpecker
HoffmannWoodpecker.jpg

Hoffmann Woodpecker ( Melanerpes hoffmannii )

Systematics
Order : Woodpecker birds (Piciformes)
Family : Woodpeckers (Picidae)
Subfamily : Real woodpeckers (Picinae)
Genre : Melanerpes
Type : Hoffmann Woodpecker
Scientific name
Melanerpes hoffmannii
( Cabanis , 1862)

The Hoffmannspecht ( Melanerpes hoffmannii ) is a species of bird from the family of the woodpeckers (Picidae). This small woodpecker species has a relatively small distribution area in Central America and lives there in dry to moderately moist, semi-open landscapes. The food that is mainly sought on trees consists mainly of insects and their larvae as well as fruits; the animals also drink nectar from large flowers. The species is common and is classified by the IUCN as "least concern".

description

Hoffmann woodpeckers are small woodpeckers with a relatively long, slightly chisel-shaped, pointed beak, which is quite wide at the base. The ridge of the beak is slightly bent downwards. The body length is about 19-21 cm, the weight 62-84 g, they are significantly smaller, but about as heavy as a great spotted woodpecker . The species shows a clear sexual dimorphism in terms of color.

The lower back and the upper tail-coverts are white. The entire remaining upper side is cross-banded in white on a black background. This banding is narrow on the upper and middle back and wider on the upper wing ceilings, umbrella feathers and arm wings . The inner wings are monochrome on the top with a white tip, the inner flags of the outer wings are also banded in white at the base. The tail is also predominantly black. The inner flags of the two central control feathers are broadly white along the quill, from there indicated white bands extend outwards. The two outermost control springs also show a narrow white transverse band on the outer flags. The head, neck and the entire underside of the trunk are predominantly monochrome, pale gray-reddish to pale brownish. The leg fletching, the belly sides, the lighter and often somewhat yellowish flanks as well as the more whitish under tail coverts show a blackish, arrowhead-like banding on this ground. The middle of the abdomen is diffuse golden orange. The lower wings are dark brown with white transverse bands, the underside of the tail is slightly lighter than the upper side with brownish outer edges.

The beak is black, legs and toes are gray. The iris is red in adult birds, occasionally reddish brown, in juvenile birds brown. The eye ring is brownish.

Males show a golden yellow zone at the base of their beak in front of the eye. The front skull is red. The back of the head and the neck are also golden yellow; this coloration continues to the uppermost back, but becomes paler there. Females lack the red coloration of the skull, and the yellow coloration is less extensive and limited to the neck. The yellowing of the base of the beak is paler than that of the male. Females are also slightly smaller and more short-billed than males.

distribution and habitat

The Hoffmann woodpecker has a relatively small distribution area in western Central America . It extends from the Pacific side of the Central Mountains of Honduras and Nicaragua to Costa Rica ; only in Costa Rica is the Caribbean side of the central mountains populated. The total distribution area covers only about 51,100 km².

The species avoids the dense rainforest and inhabits dry to moderately moist, semi-open landscapes. These include deciduous and light forests, secondary forests , coffee plantations and gardens with larger, shady trees as well as pastures and hedges with individual trees. The animals are often found close to humans. The species occurs in Honduras from sea level to 200 m height, in Costa Rica mainly at altitudes between 600 and 2150 m.

Systematics and research history

No subspecies are recognized. The species hybridizes regularly with two closely related species, in the south of Honduras with the golden-fronted woodpecker ( Melanerpes aurifrons ) and in central Costa Rica with the red-capped woodpecker ( Melanerpes rubricapillus ). Jean Louis Cabanis described the species in 1862 as Centurus Hoffmannii , thereby honoring the German naturalist Karl Hoffmann . The genus name Centurus Swainson , 1837 is a synonym for Melanerpes Swainson , 1832 , the latter having priority as the older name.

nutrition

Most of the food is sought in trees, but often low above the ground, where fence posts and tree stumps are searched. These woodpeckers mainly eat insects , especially ants, beetles and butterflies and their larvae as well as fruits, and the animals also drink nectar from large flowers. Exceptionally, bird eggs have also been detected as food. The food is mainly obtained by chopping and chiselling in wood, by chopping off bark and poking holes and crevices. When eating fruit, the animals can also hang upside down.

Reproduction

Hoffmann woodpeckers live in pairs. The breeding season extends from February to July. The caves are made in trunks of dead trees and dead branches at heights between 1.5 and 9 m, occasionally only 1 m in height in fence posts. The clutches include two to three eggs. The brood biology is otherwise hardly researched, but apparently second broods are the rule.

Existence and endangerment

There is no information on the size of the world population. The species is common in most of its range and is apparently increasing. It is therefore classified by the IUCN as safe ("least concern").

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Hoffmannspecht at BirdLife International
  2. ↑ Centurus in IT, Online, accessed 14 February 2010
  3. ↑ Luis Sandoval, Esteban Biamonte and Alejandro Solano-Ugalde: Previously Unknown Food Items in the Diet of Six Neotropical Bird Species. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 120, 2008: pp. 214-216 abstract online

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. 66-67 and 219-220.

Web links