Desert Woodpecker
| Desert Woodpecker | ||||||||||||
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Desert Woodpecker ( Dendropicos elachus ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Dendropicos elachus | ||||||||||||
| Oberholser , 1919 |
The desert woodpecker ( Dendropicos elachus ) is a species of woodpecker from the African genus Dendropicos . He lives in the semi-deserts and steppes of the Sahel zone from Senegal to Darfur . Little is known about his way of life; it feeds on insect larvae that it chops from the bark of trees. The breeding season takes place in the west of the distribution area from January, it shifts towards the east until October. The desert woodpecker is considered rare in its range, but it is not considered to be threatened.
features
Appearance and build
The desert woodpecker is a rather small woodpecker with a length of 12-14 cm. Males have a wing length of 71 to 80 mm, their support tail is 34–39 mm long, the tarsometatarsus measures 13.1–14.2 mm. Its weight is 17–21 g. The female attains roughly the same size. Its wings measure between 75 and 80 mm, the female tail is 36–41 mm long, the tarsometatarsus of the female measures 13.1–13.8 mm.
The male's forehead is light brown, the crown and back of the head are red. The eyes are surrounded by white stripes above and below the eyes. The side neck, the ear covers and the beard strip are of a washed-out brown color. The chin and throat are white with brown dashes. Overall, the plumage on the head is not particularly pronounced and is often difficult to see due to the lack of contrast. The back is banded white on a gray-brown background, the rump and upper tail-coverts are red, which is particularly easy to see in flight. The wings of the desert woodpecker are colored brown on top; on the wing covers and the edges of the wings they are thinly banded in white, on the underside the wings are colored white and covered with brown speckles. The control springs are banded white-gray on a brown background. The yellow spring shafts of the wings are striking. The belly side of the desert woodpecker is white and covered with brown speckles or ribbons on the chest, which, however, fade towards the belly and the flanks. The female shows the same plumage as the male, only the red part is missing. Instead, the entire head of the female is brownish. The plumage of the desert woodpecker is strongly colored; freshly moulted birds show stronger contrasts and richer, darker colors. Juvenile and immature desert woodpeckers are similar to adult ones , but their plumage looks faded and darker and the yellow feather shafts of the wings are paler. In both sexes, the beak is relatively long and wide compared to body size. It is grayish in color, but becomes paler towards the base. The iris is brown in males and females, both sexes have greenish-gray legs and an equally colored wax skin .
Vocalizations
The call of the desert woodpecker consists mainly of a quick, sharp rattle that lasts about 1–2 seconds and is repeated three to ten times. Eight or nine syllables are emitted per second, with each rattle consisting of two to four different syllables, for example according to the pattern Skrie-iek-ie-ie-iee-i-ie-iek . While feeding, the desert woodpecker calls with a series of soft tie-tie-tie… . The birds communicate with each other with a deep, whirring wi-wi-ii , which can swell to a faster rattle and sometimes alternates with a ch-ch-ch-ch- call.
Habitat, distribution and migration
Desert woodpeckers inhabit open, arid landscapes with sparse tree growth such as steppes and semi-deserts . Above all, desert dates ( Balanites aegyptiaca ) or Verek acacia ( Acacia senegal ) near dried-up river beds or wadis are used by the birds. The desert woodpecker is particularly widespread in the lowlands, but in Niger it can also be found up to 1600 m.
The distribution area includes in the east Darfur , central Chad , north-eastern Cameroon , central Niger and eastern Mali , across which it stretches as a narrow band in an east-west direction. There is apparently a distribution gap between Mali and Senegal , to the west of which the desert woodpecker can also be found in Gambia , in northern Senegal and in southern Mauritania . The desert woodpecker is a resident bird .
Way of life
nutrition
Little is known about the diet of the desert woodpecker. It feeds on insect larvae, which it picks and hammer from the wood of trees.
Breeding biology
The breeding season varies with longitude. In Senegal and Mali, for example, the desert woodpecker starts building nests in January or February, and in Niger between March and May. In Chad, nestlings were reported during the rainy season in October. So far, two nest cavities have been described, each located in dead branches of umbrella acacias ( Acacia tortilis ); one of them on the underside of a branch, with a diameter of 10 cm.
Systematics
The desert woodpecker belongs to the fuscescens group within the genus Dendropicos . This includes not only his Gabon Specht ( D. gabonensis ), the cardinal Specht ( D. fuscescens ), the juniper Specht ( D. abyssinicus ) and the drop Specht ( D. poecilolaemus ).
Existence and endangerment
The desert woodpecker is a rare bird and is rarely seen, the population is apparently very small. However, the species is represented in various nature reserves; BirdLife International currently sees no risk .
supporting documents
literature
- Josep del Hoyo , Andrew Elliott, Jordi Sargatal: Handbook of the Birds of the World VII: Jacamars to Woodpeckers. Lynx Editions, 2002, ISBN 8487334377 , p. 464.
- C. Hilary Fry , Stuart Keith , Emil K. Urban : The Birds of Africa, Volume III: Parrots to Woodpeckers. Princeton University Press, 1988, ISBN 0121373037 .
- Lester L. Short: Neotropical-Afrotropical Barbet and Woodpecker Radiations: A Comparison. In: Ornithological Monographs No. 36, Neotropical Ornithology , 1985. pp. 559-574.
- Hans Winkler, David A. Christie, David Nurney: Woodpeckers. A Guide to the Woodpeckers, Piculets, and Wrynecks of the World . Robertsbridge, 1995, ISBN 0-395-72043-5 .
Web links
- Dendropicos elachus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2010. Posted by: BirdLife International, in 2009.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Winkler et al. 1995, p. 238.
- ↑ a b c d Fry et al. 1988, p. 536.
- ↑ a b Fry et al. 1988, p. 535.
- ↑ a b Del Hoyo et al. 2002, p. 464.
- ↑ Short 1985, p. 568.
- ^ BirdLife International 2009.
Web links
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Desert Woodpecker ( Dendropicos elachus ) in the Internet Bird Collection