Nubian woodpecker
| Nubian woodpecker | ||||||||||
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Nubian woodpecker (male) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Campethera nubica | ||||||||||
| ( Boddaert , 1783) |
The Nubian Woodpecker ( Campethera nubica ) is a species of bird from the family of woodpeckers (Picidae). The range of the species covers large parts of East Africa . The Nubier woodpecker inhabits dry, open or semi-open tree-lined habitats such as drier scrubland, bush-rich grassland, forest strips at the edges of water and open woodland. The food, which is sought in the lower tree layer and mostly on trunks and larger branches, consists almost exclusively of ants ; termites , other insects and spiders are also eaten.
The species is fairly common to common. Obvious risk factors are currently not recognizable and the population is presumably stable. The IUCN therefore classifies the Nubian woodpecker as non-endangered (“least concern”).
description
Nubier woodpeckers are small woodpeckers with a medium-long, almost straight beak that is broad at the base. The body length is about 23 cm, the weight 46-71 g; they are about the size of a great spotted woodpecker , but much lighter. The species shows a clear sexual dimorphism in terms of coloration .
In males of the nominate form , the upper side, including the rump and upper wing-coverts, is strongly banded white and yellow on an olive-brown background. The banding on the back is more irregular and tends to be more spotted. The wings are dark brown with yellow or white bands. The top of the tail is clearly contrasting brown and yellow cross-banded. The basic color of the underside of the torso is beige-white or yellowish white, on this basis the chest and upper flanks show strong black spots, which on the lower flanks are more like bandages, while the under-tail-coverts are only finely dotted. The lower wings are banded brown and yellow, occasionally also solid yellow. The underside of the control feathers , like the top, is brown and cross-banded in yellow, but the brown bands are less strong and therefore less contrasting.
The forehead, top of the head and neck are red, the rein region and the stripe above the eyes are white. The ear covers are white, with faint dark dashed lines in the rear area. A wide black and white dashed eye stripe extends from the front edge of the eye to the rear edge of the ear covers. The red beard stripe, which is also wide, is interspersed with black feathers and extends from the base of the beak to under the ear covers. The neck, sides of the neck and throat are strongly spotted black on a white background, the chin is beige-whitish and only occasionally weakly spotted black. Females have a black forehead and an equally colored front skull with white spots; the red area is limited to the back of the head and the neck. The streak of beard is black with dense white spots.
The beak is gray to dark horn-colored with a black tip. The legs and toes are gray with an olive shade. The iris is red to pink in adult birds, gray to gray-brown in juvenile plumage. The eye ring is gray.
Vocalizations
The most frequent call is a high-pitched , metallic, rising "weee-weee-weee .... kweek" , which dies in the end. With this call, the couple partners keep in contact with each other and each respond immediately to the partner’s call. When encounters with conspecifics, various soft calls such as "kwick" or "kweek" are uttered .
distribution and habitat
The range of the species covers large parts of East Africa . The area extends in a west-east direction from the mid-west of Sudan to the north-east of Somalia , in a north-south direction from the north-east of Sudan to central and southwestern Tanzania . The size of the total distribution area is estimated at 3.55 million km².
Nubian woodpeckers inhabit dry, open or semi-open tree-lined habitats such as drier scrubland, bush-rich grassland, forest strips at the edges of water and open woodland. The animals occur in Ethiopia up to 1800 m altitude, in the rest of East Africa from the flatlands up to 2300 m altitude. In the Ruwenzori Mountains , however, the species remains below 1550 m altitude.
Systematics
Winkler et al. recognize two subspecies that are poorly differentiated. In addition, the nominate form shows an apparently habitat-related variability:
- Campethera n. Nubica ( Boddaert , 1783) - Largest part of the distribution area. The subspecies is described above. In the entire area, populations in higher areas are darker on the top and more spotted below, but populations in dry lowlands are extremely similar in color to the following subspecies and are less spotted on the underside. The drawing on the chin also varies somewhat; the chin is faintly spotted in some individuals, particularly in animals in Ethiopia.
- Campethera n. Pallida ( Sharpe , 1902) - Southern Somalia . Slightly smaller than the nominate shape, the upper side lighter, the lower side less spotted.
According to Winkler et al. the Nubier woodpecker forms a super species with the spotted woodpecker ( C. punctuligera ), the Bennett woodpecker ( C. bennettii ) and the Reichenow woodpecker ( C. scriptoricauda ).
Way of life
Nubier woodpeckers are mostly found individually or in pairs with call contact. The food is sought more in the lower tree layer and mostly on trunks and larger branches, occasionally also on the ground. It consists almost exclusively of ants , termites , other insects and spiders are also eaten. The prey and is probably obtained mainly by reading and chopping, Nubier woodpeckers primarily search for cracks in the bark, stumps and the like.
The reproduction takes place in or shortly after the main rainy season . Broods were observed in Ethiopia from November to March, in Somalia in January and February, in Uganda in June and July, and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in February. The cave is rebuilt every year and created in a rotting tree stump, a fence post or in the trunk of a tree or a palm tree. Often the cave construction is started on an already existing natural cave. The clutches include two to three, rarely up to five eggs. Both sexes breed, the male rests in the cave at night during this time. Both partners also feed the young. After flying out, the young birds are separated according to sex from the parent bird of the same sex. The broods are parasitized by two types of honey indicators , the nose strip honey indicator ( Indicator minor ) and the dashed-forehead honey indicator ( Indicator variegatus ) .
Existence and endangerment
Information on the size of the world population is not available. The species is fairly common to common. Obvious risk factors are currently not recognizable and the population is presumably stable. The IUCN therefore classifies the Nubian woodpecker as non-endangered (“least concern”).
swell
Individual evidence
- ^ The Nubier Woodpecker at BirdLife International (Online, accessed May 3, 2011)
- ↑ 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. 228
- ↑ 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. 227
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. 70-71 and 227-228.
Web links
- Campethera nubica in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2010. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2009. Accessed May 3, 2011th
Other web links
- Videos, photos and sound recordings about Campethera nubica in the Internet Bird Collection