Round-tailed woodpecker
| Round-tailed woodpecker | ||||||||||
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Round-tailed woodpecker ( juvenile plumage ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Hemicircus canente | ||||||||||
| ( Lesson , 1832) |
The heart-spotted woodpecker ( hemicircus canente ) is a species of bird from the family of woodpeckers (Picidae). This very small woodpecker is distributed over large parts of South and Southeast Asia with several disjoint occurrences. The species is forest-bound and inhabits moist and dense evergreen deciduous forests, forest fringes, secondary forests , bamboo forests, and coffee plantations. The food is primarily sought on the branches of the treetops, but also on trunks and dead branches near the crown and consists mainly of termites, ants and other insects. The population is evidently declining, but the round-tailed woodpecker is still classified by the IUCN as 
(= least concern - not endangered).
description
Round-tailed woodpeckers are very small, rounded woodpeckers with a thin neck, a large head with a pronounced hood and a very short, rounded and only slightly stiff tail, which is only slightly bent forward towards the tip. The long beak is fairly straight, chisel-shaped and pointed and broad at the base. The body length is 15-16 cm, the weight 37-50 g. The species is thus something as big as a small woodpecker , but almost twice as heavy. In terms of coloration, it shows a clear and very unusual gender dimorphism . Females also have a shorter beak and a smaller wing length than the males.
All in all, these woodpeckers are drawn quite contrastingly in black, white and gray and have no red plumage. In the male, the rump is white or dirty white, the rest of the upper side of the trunk, including the upper tail-coverts and the inner shoulder feathers, is black. Occasionally some white bandages are found on the back and / or the upper tail covers. The outer shoulder feathers, the small and medium ones and a variable proportion of the inner large upper wing-coverts show large and conspicuous, heart-shaped, black subterminal spots on a white or beige-white background. The remaining large upper wing-coverts are black with narrow white edges and tips. The wings and control springs are black on the top, the wings show a narrow white border on the inside flags.
The lower throat and chest are olive gray or beige-gray. Towards the belly the color changes to black, and the under tail-coverts are also black. In a rarely occurring color morph , the underside of the trunk is monochrome black. Under wing and under tail are blackish, the under wing coverts and the bases of the hand wings have white markings.
The upper throat, sides of the neck and the region of the beard strip are white, the rest of the head including the hood is monochrome black. The forehead and top of the head are finely spotted or spotted with white, but these white components are not visible in the field.
The beak is dark brown to blackish, legs and toes are brown and sometimes show a greenish tinge. The iris is brown to dark red-brown.
In contrast to almost all other representatives of the Picinae , the male of the round-tailed woodpecker is the sex with a monochrome head, in the female the forehead and front upper head are monochrome white or beige-white. Birds in juvenile plumage resemble the females, but the white plumage areas are tinted more beige and the white forehead is often partially banded with black. The throat, like the rest of the generally darker underside, is dark brown or black, but always shows something white at least on the sides of the neck. The intraspecies variability is very low and no subspecies are recognized.
Vocalizations
The most frequent calls are repeated, squeaky and nasal “ki-juu, chirrick” or “ch-juuh” sounds, which are emphasized on the second syllable. Furthermore, very high “kii-kii-kii-kii” calls and a long, scratchy “chur-r” are known. During courtship calls like "suu-sie" are uttered . Round-tailed woodpeckers only drum softly and not often.
distribution and habitat
This woodpecker species populates large parts of South and Southeast Asia with several disjoint occurrences. The distribution area extends in a west-east direction from the west coast of India over the southern foot of the Himalayas to Assam and then after a large gap from Myanmar to the west coast of Vietnam . In a north-south direction, the area of the species extends from northwest India, Assam and Myanmar to almost the southern tip of India, to central Thailand and to the southern tip of Vietnam. The size of the total distribution area is not exactly known.
The species is forest-bound and inhabits moist and dense evergreen deciduous forests, forest fringes, secondary forests , bamboo forests, and coffee plantations. The occurrence is largely limited to the lowlands and the animals occur in India up to 1300 m, in Southeast Asia up to 1000 m.
Way of life
The food is primarily sought on the branches of the treetops, but also on trunks and dead branches near the crown and consists mainly of termites, ants and other insects. It is obtained by reading, chopping and hammering. These woodpeckers move quickly along branches and twigs. They often rest sitting across on a branch.
Round-tailed woodpeckers live individually or in pairs, but are also observed in flocks together with other bird species. The breeding season extends mainly from November to April. The tiny caves are mostly low at heights between 1 and 4 m in a dead branch, but also in fence posts, rarely also significantly higher. The clutch consists of two or more often three eggs. Further information on the breeding biology is not yet available.
Existence and endangerment
There is no information on the size of the population. The species is considered rare in large parts of its large distribution area and more common only locally. The population is evidently declining, but the round-tailed woodpecker is still classified by the IUCN as harmless (“least concern”).
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ BirdLife International (2010) Species factsheet: Hemicircus canente . ( Online , accessed September 20, 2010)
literature
- Hans Winkler , David 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. 162-163 and 390-391.
Web links
- Hemicircus canente in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2010. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2009. Retrieved on 19 September, 2010.
Other web links
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Hemicircus canente in the Internet Bird Collection
literature
- Hans Winkler, David 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. 162-163 and 390-391.
