Chestnut Woodpecker

Chestnut Woodpecker
	Chestnut woodpecker (male)
Systematics
Order :	Woodpecker birds (Piciformes)
Family :	Woodpeckers (Picidae)
Subfamily :	Real woodpeckers (Picinae)
Genre :	Celeus
Type :	Chestnut Woodpecker
Scientific name
	Celeus castaneus
	( Wagler , 1829)

The chestnut woodpecker ( Celeus castaneus ) is a species of bird from the family of woodpeckers (Picidae). This small and mostly dark chestnut woodpecker has a relatively small distribution area in Central America . The species predominantly inhabits dense, evergreen or semi-evergreen primeval forests and older secondary forests as well as the occasional mangrove . It prefers forest edges and trees with dense foliage and epiphyte growth . The food, which is mainly sought in the canopy area, consists mainly of ants , termites and other insects, the species also seems to eat fruits and seeds occasionally.

The world population probably includes fewer than 50,000 individuals, making it relatively small, but is considered stable. The chestnut woodpecker is therefore classified by the IUCN as (= least concern - not endangered).

description

Chestnut woodpeckers are small woodpeckers with a long hood. The beak is quite short, slightly pointed in the shape of a chisel, curved downwards at the ridge and relatively narrow at the base. The body length is about 23-25 cm, the weight 80-105 g. These woodpeckers are thus about the size of a woodpecker , but slightly heavier. The species shows a clear sexual dimorphism in terms of coloration .

In the male, the entire upper side, including the upper wing coverts, umbrella feathers and upper tail coverts, is maroon or reddish maroon, the rump is a little lighter and more yellow. For this reason, the back and upper wing-coverts are banded in black, interrupted at a great distance. The upper tail-coverts are unsigned or more often banded or spotted with black. The upper sides of the wings are mostly monochrome, dark red-brown and more black towards the tip, the arm wings rarely show sparse spots or banding. The top of the control springs is also dark red-brown with broad blackish tips.

The entire underside of the trunk shows a U- or V-shaped wave pattern or more regular bands on a dark reddish-chestnut-brown background, these become narrower towards the belly. The lower wings have yellowish covers, the bases of the wings are cinnamon-colored, the tips blackish. The lower tail is colored like the upper tail, but lighter.

The head and the bonnet are predominantly monochrome ocher beige to cinnamon beige; the rein region, cheeks, beard, the upper eye area and often some feathers around the base of the beak are red. Occasionally this red color extends further back in a line along the sides of the skull.

The beak is pale greenish or greenish-white to light ivory yellow with a blue-green tone at the base. Legs and toes are dark olive to gray. The iris is chestnut brown to brown, the eye ring gray or blackish.

Females are missing the red areas on the sides of the head, these areas are ocher beige like the rest of the head.

Systematics

The intraspecies variability is very low and no subspecies are recognized. According to Winkler et al. the chestnut woodpecker forms a super species with the pale-headed woodpecker ( Celeus elegans ), the blond-headed woodpecker ( Celeus flavescens ) and the pale-headed woodpecker ( Celeus lugubris ).

distribution and habitat

This woodpecker has a relatively small distribution area in northeastern Central America near the Caribbean , the area extends from the Mexican provinces of Veracruz and Oaxaca via Honduras , Nicaragua and the northwest of Costa Rica to the west of Panama . The size of the total distribution area is estimated at 397,000 km².

The species predominantly inhabits dense, evergreen or semi-evergreen primeval forests and older secondary forests as well as the occasional mangrove . It prefers forest edges and trees with dense foliage and epiphyte growth . Chestnut woodpeckers are largely restricted to the lowlands, but can still be found in the hill country up to an altitude of 500 m, locally also up to 1000 m.

Vocalizations

Several calls are known. This includes a hissing, strong, descending whistle like "peew" or "kheew" , which is often followed by 2 to 10 sharp, nasal sounds like "kheew, wet-wet-wet ..." . Furthermore, regular series of "howp" calls are known, often followed by a giggling "r'rrp" . When excited , the chestnut woodpeckers shout sharp two-syllable "wik-kew wik-kew wik-kew" . The drum rolls last about 1.5 seconds.

Way of life

Chestnut woodpeckers are mostly found singly or in pairs, occasionally they join mixed flocks of birds. The food, which is mainly sought in the area of the tree canopy, and more rarely in the middle layer of the tree, consists mainly of ants, termites and other insects, but the species also seems to eat fruit and seeds occasionally. Food is often obtained from trunks or strong branches and primarily by chopping and probing, less often by hammering and only occasionally by reading. Chestnut woodpeckers chop holes in the tunnels and the hard-walled nests of termites and ants and chop off bark.

The reproduction takes place in the north of the distribution area from March to August, in Costa Rica and Panama between February and July. Both sexes build the caves in the trunks of living or just dead, soft woody trees. The caves are 4–21 m high, but occasionally also significantly lower. The clutch consists of 3–4 eggs. Further information on the breeding biology is not yet available.

Existence and endangerment

The world population probably includes fewer than 50,000 individuals, making it relatively small, but is considered stable. The IUCN therefore classifies the chestnut woodpecker as “least concern”.

swell

Individual evidence

↑ Hans Winkler, David A. Christie and David Nurney: Woodpeckers. A Guide to the Woodpeckers, Piculets, and Wrynecks of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge 1995: p. 330
↑ ^a ^b The chestnut woodpecker at BirdLife International . Retrieved December 25, 2011.

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. 126-127 and 330-331.

Web links

Celeus castaneus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2011. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2009. Accessed December 25, 2011th