Scarlet-headed woodpecker

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Scarlet-headed woodpecker
Scarlet-headed woodpeckers, pair (male above)

Scarlet-headed woodpeckers, pair (male above)

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Woodpecker birds (Piciformes)
Family : Woodpeckers (Picidae)
Genre : Campephilus
Type : Scarlet-headed woodpecker
Scientific name
Campephilus robustus
( Lichtenstein , 1819)

The scarlet-headed woodpecker ( Campephilus robustus ) is a neotropical woodpecker from the genus Campephilus . It occurs in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.

features

The scarlet-headed woodpecker reaches a size of 32 to 37 cm and a weight of 230 to 294 g. The male has a small, oval, black and white spot on the lower posterior ear-covers. The rest of the head, the small bonnet and the neck are scarlet red up to the top of the chest. Often some black and yellow-brown feathers are visible, especially on the neck and on the sides of the head (which is particularly evident in the worn plumage). The whitish top has a light yellow-brown or cinnamon tint. The upper mantle and the flanks are marked by some black bands. The upper wings, the wing-coverts and the shoulders are black. There are small reddish-yellow-brown spots on the inner lugs of the hand and arm wings. The upper tail is black. The underside is banded yellow-brown to beige-white and black from the breast. The bandages are tighter or missing on the abdomen. The lower wings are black-brown. The covers of the hand and arm wings have reddish-yellow-brown spots. The long beak is almost straight, chisel-shaped and broad over the nostrils. Its coloring is horn-colored. The iris is white to yellow-white. The legs are dark gray. The ear patch is missing in the female. Instead, a black-lined, broad, white cheek stripe runs from the base of the beak to the lower ear covers. The chin is blackish. The juvenile birds are more dull in color than the adult birds. They are more brownish and banded less distinctly on the underside. The under tail-coverts are usually unbanded. The top is generally more intense white. The facial pattern corresponds to that of the adult female. The young male has red feather tips in the cheek strip area.

Vocalizations

The call, which consists of kee or kew tones, can be heard both in the seated position and in flight. There are also a number of psó-ko po-po-po-po-rrat sounds. The drumming is a double thump consisting of a to-plóp or thump-ump , which can be heard one to three times a minute.

distribution

The distribution area of ​​the scarlet-headed woodpecker stretches from eastern Brazil (south of southern Bahia and eastern Goiás ) south to eastern Paraguay to northeastern Argentina ( Misiones , Corrientes ) and Rio Grande do Sul .

habitat

The scarlet-headed woodpecker lives in wet forests and araucaria forests in the lowlands up to 1000 m and in the mountains up to 2200 m. It only occurs in disturbed forests if there are sufficiently large trees.

Eating behavior

The food spectrum includes beetles, wood-boring larvae and occasionally berries. The scarlet-headed woodpecker is a resident bird that can be observed individually, in pairs or in family groups. It rarely joins mixed groups of birds. It searches for food in all tree regions, with a slight preference for the middle story. It seldom flies on the ground. He prefers large, living or dead trees and visits mainly the trunks or the forks of branches. It chops and hammers vigorously with its beak, although hammering can rarely create large cavities. When drilling for larvae, bark is also removed.

Reproductive behavior

Two observations from October and January are known of the breeding behavior, whereby the woodpeckers built nest holes in dead trees at a height of 3.5 to 4.5 m. Another nest box that was built in May had a cub in July. The only known courtship behavior is the spread of the wings.

status

BirdLife International classifies the scarlet-headed woodpecker as "not endangered" ( least concern ). It is not uncommon in the south of its distribution area. It occurs in several protected areas, including in the Caaguazú National Park and in the Refugio de Vida Silvestre Estancia San Antonio (Paraguay), in the Iguazú National Park in Argentina and in the Iguaçu National Park in Brazil, in the Parque Estadual do Desengano, in the Itatiaia National Park , in the Serra National Park dos Órgãos , in the Araucárias National Park, in the Reserva Volta Velha, in the Floresta Nacional de Passo Fundo and in the Parque Estadual de Rondinha in Rio Grande do Sul . According to observations further south in Rio Grande do Sul, its range in southeastern Brazil is probably larger than previously assumed. The species is sensitive to forest fragmentation.

literature

  • Hans Winkler, David Christie: Family Picidae (Woodpeckers). In: Josep del Hoyo , Andrew Elliott, Jordi Sargatal : Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 7: Jacamars to Woodpeckers. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2002, ISBN 84-87334-37-7 , p. 532.

Web links

Commons : Scarlet-headed woodpecker ( Campephilus robustus )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files