Spotted Woodpecker
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Spotted Woodpecker ( Campethera punctuligera ) |
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| Campethera punctuligera | ||||||||||
| ( Wagler , 1827) |
The dots Woodpecker ( Campethera punctuligera ) is a species of bird from the family of woodpeckers (Picidae). The distribution area of the species covers large parts of West and Central Africa from southwest Mauritania to the east to the southwest of Sudan . The spotted woodpecker lives in open or semi-open tree-lined habitats such as wooded savannahs and grasslands with acacias , sometimes with very sparse trees and areas free of vegetation. The food sought in trees and bushes and often near or on the ground consists mainly of ants and their larvae as well as termites .
The type is common. Obvious risk factors are currently not recognizable and the population is apparently stable, the IUCN therefore classifies the spotted woodpecker as safe (“least concern”).
description
Spotted woodpeckers are small woodpeckers with a medium-long beak that is slightly bent down at the ridge and wide at the base. The body length is about 22 cm, the weight 56-74 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 green or yellow-green. The back feathers have a yellow tip and their yellowish white shaft markings extend onto the flags, so that a variable number of bands is created. The banding of the upper wing-coverts is weaker than that of the dorsal plumage, the rump is finely banded. The wings are brown with yellowish white or white bands. The upper side of the tail is cross-banded in brown and yellow, the shafts are clearly contrasting yellow. The basic color of the underside of the trunk is yellowish white, more white towards the belly and the flanks. Because of this, the breast shows fine black dots, which occasionally extends even more sparsely to the flanks and can also form ligaments there. The lower wings are darkly banded on a light yellowish white background. The underside of the control springs is colored like the top, but lighter overall.
The forehead, skull and neck are red, the red feathers on the top of the head have narrow gray bases. The rein region, the ear covers and a narrow outer eye stripe are white, the latter is finely dotted with dark lines behind the eye. A blackish eye stripe extends from the rear edge of the eye to the rear edge of the ear covers. The beard , also red, is interspersed with black feathers and extends from the base of the beak to under the ear covers. The sides of the neck and throat are spotted black on a beige-white background, the chin is white and only occasionally has fine black spots.
Females have a black forehead and an equally colored front skull with white lines; the red area is limited to the back of the head and the neck. The beard stripe is dashed or spotted in black and white.
The beak is slate gray with a black tip. The legs and toes are greenish gray. The iris is reddish in adult birds and varies from pink-red to purple, in juvenile plumage it is brownish-gray.
Vocalizations
The most frequent call is an often repeated "kweejer" or "peer" , not dissimilar to the calls of the turning neck . The couple partners keep in touch with one another with more complex calls such as "wik-wik-whew-wee-jweu, wee-jweu" . When encounters with conspecifics, various soft calls like "njaa, njaa, njaa" or "tik-tik-tik-tik" are uttered. Overall, the calls are very similar to those of the Nubier woodpecker .
distribution and habitat
The range of the species covers large parts of West and Central Africa . The area extends in a west-east direction from the southwest of Mauritania to the southwest of Sudan . The southern limit of the distribution runs from the central Ivory Coast to the east to the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . The size of the total distribution area is estimated at 3.88 million km².
Spotted woodpeckers inhabit open or semi-open tree-lined habitats such as wooded savannahs and grasslands with acacias , sometimes with very sparse trees and areas free of vegetation.
Systematics
Winkler et al. recognize two poorly differentiated subspecies:
- Campethera p. punctuligera ( Wagler , 1827) - Largest part of the distribution area. The nominate form is described above. The species shows a clinical (flowing) variability from west to east and forms mixed types with the following subspecies at the eastern area boundary.
- Campethera p. balia ( Heuglin , 1871) - south of Sudan to northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Slightly smaller than the nominate shape, upper side greener and less yellow, lower side whiter and more spotted. In the female, the forehead and front upper head are black with clear white spots and not dashed lines.
According to Winkler et al. the spotted woodpecker forms a super species with the Nubier woodpecker ( C. nubica ), the Bennett woodpecker ( C. bennettii ) and the Reichenow woodpecker ( C. scriptoricauda ).
Way of life
Spotted woodpeckers are mostly found in pairs or as families with up to four individuals and occasionally join mixed flocks of birds. The food sought in trees and bushes and often near or on the ground consists mainly of ants and their larvae as well as termites .
Reproduction takes place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from November to June and from Nigeria to Senegambia from April to August, in Nigeria occasionally from February. The cave is created in trees. The clutches include two to three eggs. The families stay together for a long time after they leave.
Existence and endangerment
Information on the size of the world population is not available. The type is common. Obvious risk factors are currently not recognizable and the population is apparently stable, the IUCN therefore classifies the spotted woodpecker as safe (“least concern”).
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Individual evidence
- ^ The Pünktchenspecht at BirdLife International (Online, accessed May 8, 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. 227
- ↑ 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. 226
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 226-227.
Web links
- Campethera punctuligera in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2010. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2009. Accessed May 8 2011th
Other web links
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Campethera punctuligera in the Internet Bird Collection