Yucatan Woodpecker
| Yucatan Woodpecker | ||||||||||||
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Yucatan woodpecker ( Melanerpes pygmaeus ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Melanerpes pygmaeus | ||||||||||||
| ( Ridgway , 1885) |
The Yucatan Woodpecker ( Melanerpes pygmaeus ) is a species of bird from the family of woodpeckers (Picidae). The species is endemic to the Yucatán Peninsula and some neighboring islands in Central America . The animals inhabit tropical deciduous forests including their edges and clearings as well as secondary forests and coastal bushland. The way of life of the Yucatán woodpecker is largely unknown. The species is quite common and is classified by the IUCN as “least concern”.
description
Yucatán woodpeckers are very small woodpeckers with a long, almost point-like, pointed beak that is broad at the base. The ridge of the beak is bent downwards. The body length is about 16-18 cm, the weight 35-43 g. They are only slightly larger than a small woodpecker , but significantly heavier. Like most woodpecker species, the species shows a clear sexual dimorphism in terms of coloration. Females are also slightly shorter-billed than males.
In birds of the subspecies Melanerpes p. rubricomus , the lower back, rump, and upper tail- coverts are white, occasionally with a few black dashes or bands. The entire remaining upper side including the wings is cross-banded in white on a black background. The wings are more brown-black with white tips, the white bands are limited to the feather bases. The tail is black on top, only the two outermost control feathers show a white transverse banding on the outer flags. The sides of the head, neck and almost the entire underside of the trunk are predominantly monochrome, reddish gray-brown, becoming paler towards the rear. The leg fletching, the abdominal sides, the rear flanks and the under tail coverts show a blackish, arrowhead-like banding on this basis. The middle of the abdomen is diffuse reddish. The lower wings are brown with white transverse bands. The underside of the tail is a little lighter brownish-black than the upper side, with white drawing that is also limited to the outer flags of the outermost pair of control feathers.
The beak is blackish, legs and toes are gray. The iris is red to brown.
Males are golden yellow to golden orange around the base of the beak, on the chin and on the lower forehead. The upper forehead and the front skull are whitish, the rest of the skull, back of the head and neck are bright red. Females lack the red color of the skull, the red color is paler and limited to the back of the head and neck.
Vocalizations
A number of calls are known for the species, especially a soft, rolling “churr, pjurr-rr” or “chuh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh” .
distribution and habitat
The species is endemic to the Yucatán Peninsula in Central America , the range also includes the islands of Cozumel and the island of Guanaja, which belongs to Honduras . The total distribution area covers about 126,000 km².
The animals inhabit tropical deciduous forests, including their edges and clearings, as well as secondary forests and coastal bushland.
Systematics
Three subspecies are recognized:
- Melanerpes pygmaeus rubricomus Peters, JL , 1948 ; largest part of the distribution area.
- Melanerpes p. pygmaeus ( Ridgway , 1885) ; Cozumel Island, slightly smaller and darker than Melanerpes p. rubricomus
- Melanerpes p. tysoni ( Bond , 1936) ; Guanaja Island; the beak is larger than in the aforementioned subspecies, the golden yellow color on the front head is less extensive, the red top color of the male is mostly interrupted by a reddish brown zone on the back of the head and the tail is more white.
According to Winkler et al. a super species with the red cap woodpecker ( Melanerpes rubricapillus ). Due to their extreme similarity, both forms have often been grouped into one species, although there is a gap of at least 750 km between the distribution areas.
Way of life
The foraging for food is usually relatively low in trees, further information on nutrition is not yet available. The breeding season extends from April to May, and no further information is available on the breeding biology of the Yucatán woodpecker.
Existence and endangerment
There is no information on the size of the world population, but the species is relatively common and the population is considered stable. It is therefore classified by the IUCN as “least concern”.
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ BirdLife International (2010) Species factsheet: Melanerpes pygmaeus . ( Online , accessed July 28, 2010)
- ↑ Hans Winkler, David Christie, David Nurney: Woodpeckers. A Guide to the Woodpeckers, Piculets, and Wrynecks of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge 1995, p. 211.
- ↑ Hans Winkler, David Christie, David Nurney: Woodpeckers. A Guide to the Woodpeckers, Piculets, and Wrynecks of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge 1995, p. 210.
literature
- Hans Winkler, David Christie, David Nurney: Woodpeckers. A Guide to the Woodpeckers, Piculets, and Wrynecks of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge 1995, ISBN 0-395-72043-5 , pp. 62-63 and 210-211.
Web links
- Melanerpes pygmaeus in the Endangered Red List species the IUCN 2009. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2009. Accessed July 28 of 2010.
Other web links
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Melanerpes pygmaeus in the Internet Bird Collection