Campethera

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Campethera
Golden-tailed Woodpecker.jpg
A male golden-tailed woodpecker (C. abingoni) in northern Namibia
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Tribe: Picini
Genus: Campethera
G.R. Gray, 1841
Type species
Dendromus brachyrhynchus [1]
Gray, 1841
Species

see text

Campethera is a genus of bird in the family Picidae, or woodpeckers, that are native to sub-Saharan Africa. Most species are native to woodland and savanna rather than deep forest, and multiple species exhibit either arboreal or terrestrial foraging strategies. [2] Its nearest relative is the monotypic genus Geocolaptes [2] of southern Africa, which employs terrestrial foraging and breeding strategies. They are however not close relatives of similar-looking woodpeckers in the "Dendropicos clade".

Contents

Taxonomy

The genus Campethera was introduced by the English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1841 with the little green woodpecker (Campethera maculosa) as the type species. [3] The generic name combines the Ancient Greek kampē meaning "caterpillar" and -thēras meaning "hunter". [4]

Species diversity in the "Campethera clade" is believed to be understated, and up to 18 species may be involved. [2] The following 11 species are currently recognized: [5]

ImageCommon NameScientific nameDistribution
Fine-spotted Woodpecker - Gambia (32497633812).jpg Fine-spotted woodpecker Campethera punctuligeraBenin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gambia; Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan and Togo
Bennett's Woodpecker, Campethera bennettii at Marakele National Park, Limpopo, South Africa (8329369098).jpg Bennett's woodpecker Campethera bennettiiAngola, Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
Speckle-throated woodpecker Campethera scriptoricaudaMozambique, Malawi, and Tanzania
Campethera nubica.jpg Nubian woodpecker Campethera nubicafrom Chad in west to Somalia in east and Tanzania in south
Golden-tailed Woodpecker - MALE, Campethera abingoni, at Borakalalo National Park, Northwest Province, South Africa, crop.jpg Golden-tailed woodpecker Campethera abingoniAngola, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Eswatini, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
Flickr - Rainbirder - Mombasa Woodpecker (Campethera mombassica) (1) (cropped).jpg Mombasa woodpecker Campethera mombassicaKenya, Somalia, and Tanzania
Knysna woodpecker Campethera notataSouth Africa
Green-backed Woodpecker - Malawi S4E3705.jpg Little spotted woodpecker Campethera cailliautiiAngola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
Little green woodpecker Campethera maculosaSenegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Ghana
Tullberg's woodpecker Campethera tullbergiwestern Cameroon, adjacent Nigeria and Bioko island
Fine-banded woodpecker - Uganda H8O5627 (16222878628) (cropped).jpg Fine-banded woodpecker Campethera taeniolaemaeastern Congo to Kenya and Tanzania

Description

They are small to medium-sized woodpeckers. [6] The sexes are fairly similar, but males of most species have the crown and nape bright red, while in females this is restricted to the nape. Colour of the malar plumage is also useful in sexing.

Their plumage pattern is fairly uniform, and some species are only distinguishable by careful observation. [6] The mantle, back and wings are olive-greenish, and usually spotted or barred in buffy to golden yellow. The shafts of the remiges and rectrices are yellow to golden yellow. [6] The underpart plumage is spotted black to a lesser or greater degree.

Some species include drumming on dead wood as a means of non-vocal signaling. Most species are poor drummers however, and some species may not drum at all. [6]

Foraging

Their rectrices are only partially stiffened (for arboreal support), and they readily take to terrestrial foraging. Ants and termites form important components of their diet. These are lapped up with a flexible and sticky tongue. [6]

Related Research Articles

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Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar and the extreme polar regions. Most species live in forests or woodland habitats, although a few species are known that live in treeless areas, such as rocky hillsides and deserts, and the Gila woodpecker specialises in exploiting cacti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fine-spotted woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The fine-spotted woodpecker is a member of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is a widespread and frequently common resident breeder in much of west and central tropical Africa. It is a species associated with open forest, savannah and bush. This bird has a wide range and is a common species, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<i>Picoides</i> Genus of birds

Picoides is a genus of woodpeckers that are native to Eurasia and North America, commonly known as three-toed woodpeckers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-cheeked woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The black-cheeked woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found from Mexico south to Ecuador.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flight feather</span> Long, stiff, feathers on the wings or tail of a bird that aid in the generation of lift and thrust

Flight feathers are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired pennaceous feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges, singular remex, while those on the tail are called rectrices, singular rectrix. The primary function of the flight feathers is to aid in the generation of both thrust and lift, thereby enabling flight. The flight feathers of some birds perform additional functions, generally associated with territorial displays, courtship rituals or feeding methods. In some species, these feathers have developed into long showy plumes used in visual courtship displays, while in others they create a sound during display flights. Tiny serrations on the leading edge of their remiges help owls to fly silently, while the extra-stiff rectrices of woodpeckers help them to brace against tree trunks as they hammer on them. Even flightless birds still retain flight feathers, though sometimes in radically modified forms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ground woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The ground woodpecker is one of only three ground-dwelling woodpeckers in the world. It inhabits rather barren, steep, boulder-strewn slopes in relatively cool hilly and mountainous areas of South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini and has yet to be recorded outside of Southern Africa. It is found in a broad swath running from southwest to northeast, from the Cape Peninsula and Namaqualand to Mpumalanga. It is closely related to the woodpeckers of the genus Campethera, some of which also employ terrestrial foraging strategies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden-tailed woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The golden-tailed woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. Its specific name commemorates the 5th Earl of Abingdon. It belongs to a species complex that includes the Knysna woodpecker to the south of its range, and the mostly allopatric Mombasa woodpecker to the northeast, with which it perhaps hybridizes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bennett's woodpecker</span> Species of bird

Bennett's woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in woodlands and bushes in Africa. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a least-concern species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little spotted woodpecker</span> Species of bird in the family Picidae

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nubian woodpecker</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green-barred woodpecker</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pavonine quetzal</span> Species of bird

The pavonine quetzal is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae, the trogons. It is also known at the peacock trogon, red-billed train bearer, or viuda pico rojo in Spanish. The pavonine quetzal lives in the Neotropics, more specifically in the northern region of the Amazon basin, spreading from Colombia to Bolivia. The most notable characteristics helpful in identifying this bird are its plumage, red beak, and its distribution - it is the only quetzal occupying the lowland rainforest east of the Andes.

<i>Celeus</i> (bird) Genus of birds

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<i>Pardipicus</i> Genus of birds

Pardipicus is a genus of bird in the family Picidae, or woodpeckers, that are native to the African tropical rainforest. Most species are native to woodland and savanna rather than deep forest, and multiple species exhibit either arboreal or terrestrial foraging strategies.

References

  1. "Picidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  2. 1 2 3 Fuchs, Jérôme; Pons, Jean-Marc; Bowie, Rauri C.K. (March 2017). "Biogeography and diversification dynamics of the African woodpeckers". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 108: 88–100. Bibcode:2017MolPE.108...88F. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2017.01.007 . PMID   28089840.
  3. Gray (1841). A List of the Genera of Birds : with their Synonyma and an Indication of the Typical Species of Each Genus (2nd ed.). London: R. and J.E. Taylor. p. 70.
  4. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p.  87. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  5. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2019). "Woodpeckers". World Bird List Version 10.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Gorman, Gerard (2014). Woodpeckers of the World: The Complete Guide (Helm Photographic Guides). London: Bloomsbury. p. 165. ISBN   978-1408147153.