Cuban Woodpecker
| Cuban Woodpecker | ||||||||||||
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Cuban Woodpecker ( Colaptes fernandinae ) |
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| Colaptes fernandinae | ||||||||||||
| Vigors , 1827 |
The Kubaspecht ( Colaptes fernandinae ) is a species of the genus Goldspechte ( Colaptes ) within the subfamily of the real woodpeckers ( Picinae ). The bird, about the size of a gray woodpecker, is endemic to the Greater Antilles island of Cuba , where it occurs in increasingly fragmented areas and in decreasing numbers, especially in palm savannas and alluvial land. Like most representatives of this genus, the Cuban Woodpecker looks for its insect food primarily on the ground. The monotypic species is classified as endangered ("vulnerable") by the IUCN .
Appearance
Cuban woodpeckers reach a weight of up to 163 grams with a size of 30 centimeters. They correspond in size and weight to the gray woodpecker.
The upper side of the Cuban Woodpecker is densely banded blackish-brown on an ocher-yellow background, with the banding on the back and the upper tail-coverts being narrower than on the wing-coverts. The top of the wings is closely banded yellow-brown on a dark brown background. The black-brown tail is banded in light ocher over its entire width. The underside is drawn from the throat on a yellowish-leather-colored background, which is most intensely colored on the flanks, clearly like arrowheads, brownish-black. This drawing fades a little on the abdomen. Like the underside of the tail, the underside of the wings is yellowish with only indistinct, dark banding. The long, pointed and downwardly curved poke is black, the four-toed feet are dark gray. According to Winkler, the eye color is either dark brown or reddish brown.
The differences in color between the sexes are small and only affect the color of the head. Size or weight dimorphisms are not described. In the adult male, the forehead, crown and neck are finely dashed in black on a cinnamon-colored background; occasionally the neck area shows a hint of red. A narrow white rein and a fine white stripe above and below the eyes can be formed. The streak of beard is black; sometimes it has reddish inclusions and markings. The intense light ocher-colored ear covers darken a little towards the neck. The throat and neck are dotted with intense black on a whitish background, with black spots on the sides and towards the chest. In adult females, the beard is clearly dashed in white; There are no red inclusions in the neck or malar area. Young birds are generally duller and more brown in color. While the banding on the top is more indistinct, the dark plumage markings on the underside are more spread out.
voice
The vocalizations are reminiscent of those of the golden woodpecker . The most common is a series of calls that fall in pitch and sound like pieeh ... pieeh or kliie-ye ... kliie-ye . Trills also belong in the repertoire of calls. Overall, however, the species is acoustically rather inconspicuous.
distribution and habitat
The Cuban Woodpecker is endemic to the Antilles island of Cuba. As far as is known, it used to be much more widespread there than it is today, but apparently never often. At present, its known occurrences are limited to a few, largely isolated areas. The largest and most populous is the Zapata alluvial land in the Matanzas province in southwest Cuba.
In these differently structured areas, the species mainly inhabits palm savannahs in open, dry landscapes, but also pastureland, forest edges and alluvial land areas. Occasionally it also penetrates into dense, contiguous forests.
Food and subsistence
As far as is known, the Cuban woodpecker feeds on insects, primarily ants . It preyes on its food mainly on the ground by poking in the earth or turning and searching leaves. When looking for food, it is more focused on the ground than the related and sympathetic golden woodpecker.
Brood
Cuban woodpeckers breed mostly in single pairs, but occasionally also in small, loose colonies. Pair formation takes place in late December and January. Then the couple builds a breeding cave in living or damaged palms, usually at a relatively low height. The preferred breeding tree is Sabal domingensis , a palm species common in Cuba and Hispaniola . The main season extends from March to June. The clutch consists of 4–5 eggs. Further information on the breeding biology, in particular on breeding duration and nestling time, is not available.
Danger
The population of the species is classified as endangered ("vulnerable") by the IUCN . The main reasons for this are the now heavily fragmented distribution areas, the total size of which is around 7,400 square kilometers and the total population estimated at fewer than 1000 individuals. The largest deposits are in the Zapata swamps, an area that is designated as a biosphere reserve. Although the population of the species continues to decline here, internationally networked protection programs are being started which may be able to ensure the conservation of the species at a very low population level.
The main sources of endangerment are still habitat loss, direct persecution and illegal trade in species as well as competition from other species of woodpecker, in particular the golden woodpecker and the Bahamian woodpecker . The latter is not only a cave competitor, but occasionally also excludes breeding caves of the Kubaspechts. Cuban woodpeckers occasionally breed in loose colonies, sometimes associated with pairs of the Cuban Amazon . Since this parrot species is a popular cage bird, the breeding trees are often felled to get their eggs or nestlings. The fronds of the Sabal palm are mainly used for hut roofs and all kinds of wickerwork, which brings a variety of disturbances with it, but can also lead to the death of the palm trees and thus further reduce the breeding possibilities of the species.
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. 124-125 and 322.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Winkler et al. (1995) p. 322
- ↑ a b c d Der Kubaspecht at Birdlife International, English, accessed on February 16, 2010
Web link
- Colaptes fernandinae onthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2014.