King woodpecker

King woodpecker
	King Woodpecker ( Campephilus guatemalensis )
Systematics
Class :	Birds (aves)
Order :	Woodpecker birds (Piciformes)
Family :	Woodpeckers (Picidae)
Genre :	Long-crested woodpecker ( Campephilus )
Type :	King woodpecker
Scientific name
	Campephilus guatemalensis
	( Hartlaub , 1844)

King Woodpecker in the Cayo District

The king woodpecker ( Campephilus guatemalensis ) is a species of bird in the family of the woodpeckers (Picidae), which is native to Central America.

description

Appearance

In the nominate form Campephilus guatemalensis guatemalensis, the king woodpecker reaches a length of 35.5 to 38 centimeters and a weight of 205 to 244 grams. The subspecies Campephilus guatemalensis regius reaches a weight of 263 to 282 grams. The rump and tail plumage is glossy black to black-brown in both sexes. The inner flags of the hand wings and those of the umbrella feathers are whitish and form two oblique stripes or an elongated, V-shaped pattern when the bird is sitting. The chest and stomach are banded with variable brownish bands on a beige background. The forehead, top and back of the head and the long bonnet are bright red up to the base of the neck. The females lack the red of the forehead and this as well as the front upper head are monochrome black. A white band runs along both sides of the neck. The broad, chisel-shaped beak at the base is strikingly light and ivory in color. The species is therefore referred to in English as pale-billed woodpecker ( pale-billed woodpecker ). The featherless areas of the legs and the four toes are gray-brown in color. The iris of the eyes is outlined in yellow and dark.

Vocalizations

A characteristic call of the king woodpecker is a variable, nasal rattle that sometimes sounds like a loud grumble. The drumming is a double thump.

Similar species

The line woodpecker ( Dryocopus lineatus ) shows a light line that extends over the cheeks and along the side of the neck down to the side of the chest. The light back lines are parallel and not V-shaped. It also differs in the dark color of the beak.

Way of life

Outside the breeding season, the king woodpecker lives solitary. The food consists primarily of beetle larvae (up to 70%), whereby he pulls the larvae out of the bark by powerful hammering. The food supply is sometimes supplemented by termites , fruits and small lizards .

The breeding season in Mexico extends from December to June, in Costa Rica from August to December. The nest is made in a cavity in a large tree, often a dead tree, with both sexes carving the brood cavity. The nest height is variable and varies between three and twelve meters. The eggs are placed on fine wood chips at the bottom of the cavity. The clutch consists of two eggs that are white in color. Both sexes incubate the eggs alternately. After hatching, the nestlings are provided with food by both parents, mainly with beetle larvae.

distribution and habitat

The king woodpecker is found in the east, west and south of Mexico , in Guatemala , Honduras , Belize , Nicaragua , Costa Rica and in northern Panama . The main habitat are tropical, evergreen forest areas. It is also found in mangrove forests . The maximum altitude is 2000 meters.