Wave-eared woodpecker
| Wave-eared woodpecker | ||||||||||
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Wavy-eared Woodpecker in Intervales State Park (Ribeirão Grande, São Paulo , Brazil ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Celeus galeatus | ||||||||||
| ( Temminck , 1822) |
The wave- eared woodpecker ( Celeus galeatus ) is a species of bird from the woodpecker family (Picidae). The relatively small distribution area is limited to the eastern central South America and includes the southwest of Brazil , the bordering east of Paraguay and the extreme northeast of Argentina . The wave-eared woodpecker lives in old tropical deciduous forests, especially primeval forests, but also disturbed primeval forests that are even influenced by selective wood use, as long as the forest character is not severely impaired. The food that is particularly sought after in the middle and lower tree layers consists of beetle larvae, among other things.
The population has probably declined sharply due to habitat destruction and the distribution has been fragmented. Presumably the population comprises fewer than 10,000 individuals and continues to decline. The wave-eared woodpecker is therefore classified by the IUCN as endangered ("vulnerable").
description
The wave-eared woodpecker is similar in habit to the black woodpecker , which is also native to Central Europe , but is considerably smaller and the coloration differs significantly. They are medium-sized woodpeckers with a long and stiff tail, which is bent forward towards the tip, and a pronounced feather hood pulled backwards. The beak is quite long, slightly pointed, chisel-shaped and relatively broad at the base. The ridge of the beak is bent downwards. The body length is 27-28 cm, the weight about 124 g; they are therefore smaller and significantly lighter than a green woodpecker . The species shows a weak sexual dimorphism in terms of coloration . Females also have a slightly smaller beak than the males, but wings and tails are slightly longer.
In males, the upper and middle back, shoulder feathers and upper wing coverts are monochrome brownish black to black. The lower back, rump and the very long upper tail-coverts are cream beige, often with a cinnamon-colored tone. It is not uncommon for the lower back and occasionally the rump to show some darker bandages for this reason. The wings are also brownish black on top, the inner arm wings have cinnamon-colored bases. The upper tail is black. The area from the lower throat to the upper chest is blackish with cinnamon-colored banding, the rest of the underside of the trunk is banded in black on a whitish-beige to cinnamon-beige background. The wings are gray-brown underneath with cinnamon-colored bases on the inner arm wings; the cinnamon-colored lower wing coverts are banded in black to varying degrees. The under tail is matt black.
The forehead is cinnamon colored. The top and back of the head and the long bonnet are red, occasionally some beige or black feathers can be seen here. The rein region is rusty cinnamon-colored, the area below the eye and the ear covers are finely wavy cross-banded on a rusty cinnamon-colored background. The beard stripe is red with cinnamon-colored and black-banded feather bases. From there, the red coloring is often extended to under the eye, to the front ear covers, to the throat and occasionally even to the rear ear covers, and in the latter case it connects with the red feather hood. A wide white band runs from the rear, lower border of the ear covers over the side of the neck to the upper side of the chest. The chin and upper throat are rusty, cinnamon-colored.
Females lack the red stripe of beard and any further red coloration of the head side, these areas are, like the rest of the head side, finely wavy cross-banded on a rusty cinnamon-colored background.
The beak is gray to gray-blue with a lighter ivory-colored tip. Legs and toes are dark gray. The iris is brown.
Vocalizations
The most frequent call, probably indicating a territory, is a loud, penetrating series of 2 to 6 sounds like "kerr kerr kerr kerr kerr" . Couple contact is maintained with less loud and sad-sounding calls like “tu-hu-uuuu” . The quiet, even drum rolls only last about 1.5 seconds.
distribution and habitat
The relatively small distribution area is limited to the eastern central South America and includes the southwest of Brazil , the bordering east of Paraguay and the extreme northeast of Argentina . The size of the total distribution area is estimated at 184,000 km².
The wave-eared woodpecker lives in old tropical deciduous forests, especially primeval forests, but also disturbed primeval forests that are even influenced by selective wood use, as long as the forest character is not severely impaired.
Systematics
Until the beginning of 2016, the wave-eared woodpecker was part of the genus Dryocopus . However, two studies from 2015 identify him as a representative of the genus Celeus . The intraspecies variability is very low and no subspecies are recognized.
Way of life
Very little is known about the way of life of the species. Wave-eared woodpeckers are found singly or in pairs. Foraging takes place on branches with a diameter of 2–30 cm, often overgrown with moss or lichen; in the interior of the forest mostly in the middle tree layer at a height of 14–15 m, at the edges of the forest also lower up to 2–5 m. The food consists of beetle larvae, among other things. It is obtained by chopping off bark, chopping, probing, and occasionally reading. In contrast to most members of the Dryocopus genus, wave- eared woodpeckers hammer only occasionally and with little perseverance and do not punch large holes in the wood.
Reproduction apparently takes place from September to February. The caves are apparently astonishingly low, only 2-3 m high. Further information on the breeding biology is not yet available.
Existence and endangerment
Reliable information on the size of the world population is not available. The species is inconspicuous and silent for most of the year, so it is difficult to detect and is probably under-recorded. Due to the ongoing destruction of the forest, the population has probably declined sharply and the distribution has been fragmented. The population is likely to be fewer than 10,000 individuals and is likely to continue to decline sharply. The wave-eared woodpecker is therefore classified by the IUCN as endangered ("vulnerable").
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ 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. 337
- ↑ a b c The wave-eared woodpecker at BirdLife International . Retrieved June 25, 2011.
- ^ Benz, BW, MB Robbins, and KJ Zimmer. 2015. Phylogenetic relationships of the Helmeted Woodpecker (Dryocopus galeatus): A case of interspecific mimicry? Auk 132: 939-950.
- ↑ Martjan Lammertink , Cecilia Kopuchian, Hanja B. Brandl, Pablo L. Tubaro, Hans Winkler : A striking case of deceptive woodpecker coloration: the threatened Helmeted Woodpecker Dryocopus galeatus belongs in the genus Celeus . Journal of Ornithology, July 2015
- ↑ Proposal (689) to South American Classification Committee Transfer Helmeted Woodpecker from Dryocopus to Celeus (Passed January 2016)
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. 132-133 and 336-337.
Web links
- Hylatomus galeatus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2011. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed June 25, 2011th
Other web links
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Dryocopus galeatus in the Internet Bird Collection