Temporal Spotted Woodpecker
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Temporal Spotted Woodpecker ( Melanerpes pucherani ), female |
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| Melanerpes pucherani | ||||||||||
| ( Malherbe , 1849) |
The black-cheeked woodpecker ( Melanerpes pucherani ) is a species of bird from the family of woodpeckers (Picidae). This small woodpecker species inhabits large parts of Central America as well as a relatively narrow zone in northwestern South America . Temporal spot woodpeckers predominantly inhabit the interior of the tropical rainforest , but also its edges, older secondary forests and abandoned banana plantations.
The food, which is mainly sought in the middle and high areas of the tree layer, consists of a wide range of insects and spiders as well as fruits and seeds, the animals also drink nectar from large flowers. The species is classified by the IUCN as not endangered ("least concern") due to its relatively large distribution area and the apparently stable population.
description
Temporal spot woodpeckers are small woodpeckers with a long, pointed beak that is broad at the base. The ridge of the beak is bent downwards. The body length is about 17-19 cm, the weight 42-68 g; they are much smaller, but about as heavy as a middle woodpecker . Like most woodpecker species, the species shows a clear sexual dimorphism in terms of color ; females are also slightly smaller than males.
In both sexes, the middle and lower back as well as the rump are white, often with a pale red-brownish tone. The rest of the upper side of the fuselage, the shoulder feathers and the upper wing coverts are predominantly black. Because of this, the upper and middle back show a white transverse banding, part of the shoulder feathers can also be banded. The small and most of the middle upper wing-coverts are monochrome black, the remaining middle and large upper wing-coverts are spotted white on a black background. The wings are black or brownish black on top with narrow white tips in the fresh plumage and white banding, which is only missing on the outer flags of the outer hand wings .
The upper side of the tail is black, the inner control feathers show a white banding variable in their strength, this can also be indicated on the outer control feathers. The lower throat and chest are washed out grayish olive brown, the middle of the abdomen is orange-red. The rest of the underside of the torso, the flanks, the leg fletching and the under tail-coverts are banded on a pale brownish white background, as is the middle of the abdomen, as are strong, dark arrowheads. The undersides of the wings are black with white banding. The underside of the tail is yellowish brown.
The beak is black, slightly lightened at the base of the lower mandible. Legs and toes are gray with a shade of green or olive. The iris is brown.
The male's forehead is golden yellow, the top of the head and neck are red. Behind the eye there is a short black stripe above the eye , which is delimited at the bottom by a short white line. A strong black eye stripe begins in front of the eye and runs, encircling the eye below and above, over the upper ear covers backwards along the rear sides of the neck to the upper back. The other sides of the head, like the chin and upper throat, are monochrome white with a gray-brownish tone on the rear sides of the head and the throat. In the female, the red color of the head is limited to the neck. The forehead is also golden yellow, but the front and middle skull is white to brownish white and the back skull is black.
Vocalizations
A number of calls are known, the most common is a short, rattling trill, usually four times quickly repeated at the same pitch, such as "churr-churr-churr-churr" . Furthermore, a longer, softer rattle , a loud, powerful "krrrr" and a high, piercing shout like "chirririi" or "kiiiiiriik" are known. Both sexes drum.
distribution and habitat
The range of the temporal spot woodpecker covers large parts of Central America as well as a relatively narrow zone in the northwest of South America . It stretches from southern Mexico ( Veracruz and Chiapas ) across northern and eastern Central America to western Colombia and western Ecuador . The animals come from the lowlands up to 700–900 m altitude, occasionally up to 1200 m.
Temporal spot woodpeckers predominantly inhabit the interior of the tropical rainforest, but also its edges, older secondary forests and abandoned banana plantations.
nutrition
The food, which is mainly sought in the middle and high areas of the tree layer, consists on the one hand of a broad spectrum of invertebrates , including spiders, termites, beetles and their larvae, ants, caterpillars and other flying insects. The temporal spotted woodpecker also consumes large amounts of vegetable food, such as fruits, berries, seeds of large bromeliads, and the seed coats and catkins of the ant tree . The animals also drink nectar from large flowers.
The food is obtained primarily by poking and probing in cracks and holes in the bark, but also by chopping and hammering into dead wood . In addition, temporal spot woodpeckers also read insects from trunks, branches and lianas and cling very skillfully to the underside of branches and twigs in search of food.
Reproduction
Temporal spot woodpeckers breed in single pairs, the breeding season in Central America and Colombia extends from March to July. The breeding caves are usually created in dead trunks or branches at heights between 4 and 30 m. The male sleeps in these caves, at least temporarily together with the female. The clutch comprises two to four eggs that are incubated by both partners, the incubation period is 14 days. According to observations in captivity, the young birds fly out after about three weeks, but it is not uncommon for them to sleep in the breeding cave afterwards. If the parents have started a second brood in captivity, the young birds of the first brood will still be tolerated.
Existence and endangerment
There is no reliable information about the size of the world population, it is estimated very roughly by BirdLife International at 50,000 to 500,000 individuals and is considered stable. The IUCN therefore classifies the temporal speckled woodpecker as safe ("least concern").
swell
Individual evidence
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. 58-59 and 202-203.
Web links
- Melanerpes pucherani in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed January 31 of 2009.
Other web links
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Melanerpes pucherani in the Internet Bird Collection