Magellan Woodpecker
| Magellan Woodpecker | ||||||||||
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Magellan woodpecker, male |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Campephilus magellanicus | ||||||||||
| ( King , 1828) |
The Magellan woodpecker ( Campephilus magellanicus ) is a large, strikingly colored woodpecker species of the genus Campephilus within the family of the woodpeckers (Picidae). Since the ivory woodpecker and the emperor woodpecker are most likely to be considered extinct, the magellan woodpecker is the largest representative of the genus, the largest woodpecker species in South America and one of the largest woodpeckers worldwide.
The Magellan Woodpecker lives in the humid, temperate forest areas of southern Chile and the Argentine areas adjoining it to the east, south to Tierra del Fuego . The woodpeckers, which usually live in family groups of two to four individuals, are resident birds . They feed primarily on larvae of wood-dwelling insects, especially beetles, which they prey by poking and detaching pieces of bark or whose passages they chop free. The genus name Campephilus refers to this diet (gr. Κάμπια + φιλóσ = caterpillar friend ), the specific epithet refers to Magellan or to the area near the Magellan Strait , from which the type specimen comes.
The monotypic species is as a whole does not endanger (LC = Least concern ), although the component has been extinguished in the last decades, especially in the area of the northern, Chilean distribution limit partially, but at least island-like thinned.
Appearance
The large woodpecker, predominantly black in the color of the body plumage, is unmistakable in its habitat. The sexes can also be easily distinguished by the bright red head of the male and the largely black head of the female.
With a maximum body length of 38 centimeters, the Magellan Woodpecker is much smaller than the native black woodpecker , but due to its robust build it weighs up to 363 grams. Females are slightly smaller and 10–20% lighter than males. They also differ from males in that their beak length is usually somewhat shorter.
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The rump plumage is shiny black or black-dark brown in both sexes, more brownish on the flanks and in the lower abdomen. The inner flags of the hand wings and those of the umbrella feathers are white and form a white stripe or an elongated, white triangular field when the bird is sitting. The shafts of the upper tail-coverts and the upper section of the central tail feathers are usually light, often almost white. Often there are white drawings in the area of the thumb wing , less often the ends of some hand wings are dripped in white. The broad, chisel-shaped bill at the base is dark or blue-gray. Unfeathered areas of the legs and the four toes are also dark gray. The iris of the eyes is yellow, surrounded by a slightly darker, gold-colored eye ring.
The head color differs significantly between males and females. The head as well as the upper neck and neck area are bright red in male Magellanic woodpeckers. The cheeks are interspersed with black feathers to varying degrees. The occiput, which is typical for many species of woodpecker, ends in a curl of feathers that tilts forward and can be raised depending on the mood. In females, the red components are reduced to small areas around the upper and lower beak base. The black feather curl of the occiput is often longer and more prominently curled forward than that of the males.
The plumage of the young birds is similar to that of the colored females, but is brown and less shiny. Juvenile males already show isolated red feathers in their first juvenile plumage, especially below the base of the beak and on the cheeks. The white inner flags of the umbrella feathers and the wings of the hand are dripped in black, which occasionally results in an irregular black pattern in the sitting bird. This characteristic is retained until the change to adult dress at the end of the first year of life and is also a good identification aid at greater distances.
Vocalizations
Magellan woodpeckers have an extensive repertoire of calls and instrumental sounds ; as a socially living species they are acoustically present throughout the year, but are most noticeable in the pre-breeding season. The most common call uttered in a likely territorial and agonistic context is an explosive, sometimes somewhat nasal, two-syllable pi-jeeh (voice example). In addition, jay-like screeching sounds and gently chirping calls can be heard (example of a voice: knocking and chirping). The drumming is a double beat typical of the genus Campephilus (example).
distribution and habitat
The northernmost breeding areas of the species are currently in Chile in the southern area of the Región del Maule and in Argentina in the southwest of the Neuquén province . The occurrences in these areas are heavily thinned out and largely limited to protected parts of the landscape. To the south, the distribution area extends to Cape Horn . To the west of it, most of the islands off the coast are populated. In these areas, the species occurs from sea level to altitudes of 2000 meters.
The Magellan Woodpecker is a typical species of the humid, temperate southern Nothofagus forests, but also inhabits secondary forests and open forest landscapes.
The space requirement of the territorial type throughout the year is great. Average area sizes are around 100 hectares. The territory is defended by all family members against conspecifics; however, other species of woodpecker, in particular the dashed-head woodpecker, are tolerated in the area. Magellan woodpeckers are resident birds; nothing is known about vertical migration either.
Food and subsistence
Magellanic woodpeckers feed mainly on larvae of wood-dwelling insects, especially beetle larvae . They also eat caterpillars , adults of various insect species, spiders , gouge bird nests and occasionally prey on small reptiles and mammals . Tree saps and fruits are also part of the food repertoire. An extensive quantitative analysis showed a beetle larvae proportion of over 65% in male and almost 49% in female woodpeckers.
Food is sought in all trunk and branch areas of dead or living trees, on lying dead wood and on the ground. This is done more by reading from the trunk surface, drilling and poking than by deep chopping, which this species of woodpecker is just as capable of. The species often loosens large areas of bark from damaged trees. The woodpeckers also hang upside down from the underside of branches to get at prey. Males look for food more often in the trunk area and on strong branches, while females prefer the crown area and weaker branches. Autochthonous tree species are clearly preferred, but Magellan woodpeckers also seek out imported birch and pines and mainly extract tree sap there. The Magellan woodpecker has also integrated the dams of the introduced and massively spreading beaver into its search strategy. While foraging for food, the family group stays close together, and young birds often follow their parents directly.
behavior
Like all woodpeckers, the Magellan woodpecker is diurnal. He spends most of the day looking for food from sunrise to sunset. In between there are short rest and cleaning periods around noon. The woodpeckers usually live in family groups consisting of the adult birds and one or more young from the past broods. While searching for food, the group remains in constant, low-level sound contact; their presence is often signaled by soft knocking. Woodpeckers always spend the night in sleeping caves. If very spacious caves are available, all members of a group use the same cave. Even in very bad weather, the woodpeckers seek shelter in sleeping caves.
Magellan woodpeckers are territorial throughout the year. The entire group defends the area against conspecifics with shouts, threatening gestures and in exceptional cases also with attack flights. Cave competitors drive the species away from the immediate cave area whenever possible. Depending on the situation, Magellan woodpeckers behave differently towards enemies, especially those who fly like the white-throated buzzard , the red-backed buzzard or the Chilean sparrow : Either they stay close to the trunk, motionless and still or they try to drive away the bird of prey.
Breeding biology
The breeding biology of the species has not yet been adequately researched, so that some information is missing or partly contradicting itself. It is not known at what age on average Magellanic woodpeckers breed for the first time. Since young birds remain in the family for at least one year, Magellan woodpeckers are at least two years old when they first breed, but mostly older. As far as is known, they have a monogamous, mostly long-term partnership. The partners remain in the area outside the breeding season and defend it. In contrast to all other species of woodpecker, Magellanic woodpeckers only appear to breed every two years. The inconspicuous courtship begins at the end of September, the cave construction one to two weeks later. The breeding cave is cut by both partners at an average height of between 9 and 12 meters, especially in living southern beeches . The entrance hole is usually slightly oval in length. Laying begins at the end of October. There are different information about the clutch size: Winkler numbers it with 1–4, the information from Chazarreta and Ojeda based on more recent studies speak exclusively of two eggs. The dull, glossy eggs laid at daily intervals are very elongated oval. The incubation period varies between 15 and 17 days, the nestling period is unusually long at up to 50 days. If you follow Chazarreta & Ojeda, the second-born cub always dies within 48 hours, so that the reproduction rate of the species - also considering the two-year breeding cycle - is very low. Both parents hover and feed the young, the male mainly removes the poop sacks. The nestling is fledged up to the 27th day, continuously during the first twelve days. Young birds living in the family do not participate in the rearing of young and are kept away from the immediate cave area. After leaving the family, the young woodpecker stays with the family for at least a year, more often two years; during the first year it is fed by the parents in decreasing intensity.
No data are available on dismigration and life expectancy, but life expectancy must be relatively high due to the peculiarities of breeding biology.
Systematics
The genus Campephilus comprises eleven medium-sized to very large species, which are found mainly in Central and South America. Two species and one subspecies are very likely to have become extinct in recent years. Campephilus was placed close to Dryocopus for a long time due to behavioral similarities ; today, Reinwardtipicus validus and the species-poor genus Blythipicus are closely related.
The species is monotypical.
Persistence and Threat
According to BirdLife, the area of the distribution area is 395,000 km² internationally. Inventory figures are not available. Since the species does not seem to be rare in large parts of its range and no significant population losses have become known, the Magellan woodpecker is not considered endangered. (LC = least concern ).
The national commission of Chile classifies the population in the northern three regions of the distribution area, the Región VI ( Región del Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins ), the Región VII ( Región del Maule ) and the Región VIII ( Región del Bío-Bío ) as endangered = endangered a. In these areas the occurrence of the species is restricted to protected areas. It is questionable whether it still occurs in Region VI. In the remaining areas of Chile and Argentina, the population is rated as vulnerable = endangered. The reason for the population decline, especially in the north of Chile, is the increasing destruction of the habitat due to the intensification of logging. Increasing trekking tourism could also have negative effects in the long term, on the one hand through direct disruption, on the other hand through the creation of a tourist infrastructure. A certain protection for the species is that over 30% of its habitat, a total of over 3 million hectares, is designated as a protected area and that large parts of the southern distribution area are practically uninhabited.
Individual evidence
- ↑ James A. Jobling: The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. Helm, London 2010; ISBN 978-1-408-12501-4 , p. 87.
- ↑ a b BirdLife International: Species Factsheet - Campephilus magellanicus
- ↑ Chazarreta & Ojeda (2011): Distribution / Historical Changes
- ↑ Winkler et al. (1995) p. 353
- ↑ Chazarreta & Ojeda (2011): Identification / Figure
- ↑ Bernabe Lopez-Lanus: XC52601 Magellan Woodpecker Campephilus magellanicus (MP§) xeno-canto.org. January 21, 2005. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
- ↑ Frank Lambert: XC34963 Magellan Woodpecker Campephilus magellanicus (MP3) xeno-canto.org. January 1, 2003. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
- ↑ Fabrice Schmitt: XC75311 Magellan Woodpecker Campephilus magellanicus (MP3) xeno-canto.org. December 23, 2009. Accessed September 1, 2019.
- ↑ Chazarreta & Ojeda (2011): Distribution
- ↑ Winkler et al. (1995) p. 352
- ↑ Chazarreta & Ojeda (2011): Life History
- ↑ Chazarreta & Ojeda (2011): Reproduction
- ↑ Chazarreta & Ojeda (2011): Predation
- ↑ Chazarreta & Ojeda (2011): Reproduction
- ↑ Winkler et al. (1995) p. 353
- ↑ Chazarreta & Ojeda (2011): Life History / Reproduction
- ↑ Chazarreta & Ojeda (2011): Life History / Reproduction
- ↑ Chazarreta & Ojeda (2011): Populations and Demography
- ↑ BirdLife International: Species Factsheet - Campephilus imperialis
- ↑ BirdLife International: Species Factsheet - Campephilus principalis
- ↑ Brett W. Benz, Mark B. Robbins, A. Townsend Peterson: Evolutionary history of woodpeckers and allies (Aves: Picidae): Placing key taxa on the phylogenetic tree . In: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 40 (2006): 389-399 ( PDF, 868kB ).
- ↑ Chazarreta & Ojeda (2011): Conservation Status
- ↑ Chazarreta & Ojeda (2011): Conservation
literature
- ML Chazarreta and V. Ojeda: Magellanic Woodpecker (Campephilus magellanicus) . Neotropical Birds Online (TS Schulenberg, Editor). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; retrieved from Neotropical Birds online (no page numbers).
- 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. 68-69 and 358-359 and 140-141.
- Hans Winkler: Family Picidae (Woodpeckers) In: del Hoyo, Elliott and Sargatal (Eds.): Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 7 (Jacamars to Woodpeckers) Lynx Ediciones Barcelona 2002, pp. 274-419, ISBN 84-87334-37-7 .
Web links
- Campephilus magellanicus inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Campephilus magellanicus in the Internet Bird Collection