Golden-tailed woodpecker | |
---|---|
male of the nominate race | |
call note | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Piciformes |
Family: | Picidae |
Genus: | Campethera |
Species: | C. abingoni |
Binomial name | |
Campethera abingoni (Smith, 1836) | |
resident range | |
Synonyms | |
Chrysoptilus abingoni |
The golden-tailed woodpecker (Campethera abingoni) is a species of bird in the family Picidae. Its specific name commemorates the 5th Earl of Abingdon. [2] It belongs to a species complex that includes the Knysna woodpecker to the south of its range, and the mostly allopatric [3] Mombasa woodpecker to the northeast, [4] with which it perhaps hybridizes.
The combination of barred, greenish upper part plumage, and streaked underparts is distinctive. Their golden-olive tails do not differ markedly from those of several related or sympatric woodpecker species, but their single, strident call-note is characteristic.
It measures 20 [3] to 21 cm [5] from bill tip to tail tip. [5] The southern races weigh about 70 g, [5] but the northern race C. a. chrysura, only about 55 g. Males are on average larger and heavier than females. [6] The sexes are best distinguished by their head markings, as the red and brown fore-crowns of males differ unmistakably from those of females that are black and spotted white. The malar stripes of males are red and that of females mottled black and white. The iris is usually dark red but variable, [7] the mandibles slate grey, [3] and the legs and feet greenish-olive. [6] Juveniles are heavily streaked on the throat and breast and barred on the belly. They and have mottled malar stripes, [3] and a brown to brownish-grey iris. [7]
Besides the single strident "waaa" [8] or "weeea" [7] call-note, usually by the male, it has a long-range and repeated yaooaak-yaaaaaak. [7] It drums softly. [3]
It is present in coastal forest, miombo, mopane and acacia woodlands. It shows a preference for riparian woodland, particularly in the dryer parts of southern Africa. [8] It may intensively forage small areas in the lower to middle strata of trees. [3] It establishes fairly large territories of 10 to 15 ha, and can cover some distance between foraging sites. [7]
Very widespread in woodlands or forest south of the equator, and very localized north of it. It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
It obtains most food by probing and gleaning, but also hammers dead or infected wood rather more frequently than other Campethera species. [7] It feeds mostly on arboreal ants and termites, but also takes millipedes, wood-boring larvae and leaf-feeding moth larvae. It occurs alongside the Cardinal woodpecker which to some extent exploits thinner branches. [7]
They nest during early summer. Both sexes excavate the nest, usually on the underside of a branch in the lower to middle level of a tree. Two to three glossy white eggs are laid, and the parents take turns to incubate them. The male incubates at night. [7] The incubation period is about 13 days, and the chicks are fed regurgitated food by both parents. Chicks leave the nest after 22 to 25 days. Their nests are parasitized by various species of honeyguide. [9]
There are 6 [4] to 7 [5] accepted races. C. a. chrysura(Swainson, 1837) occurs from Senegambia to western Uganda. It is quite green above, has streaked ear coverts and is smaller in size than either C. a. suahelica or C. a. abingoni, without overlap. The tropical race C. a. kavirondensisvan Someren, 1926 is olive-green above and more broadly barred, with thinner streaking below. C. a. suahelica(Reichenow, 1902) which occurs from the Kilimanjaro region to northern Eswatini, is similar to the former but has a yellower toned upper parts. The nominate race is widespread in arid and mesic woodlands of southern Africa, and has denser throat streaking than C. a. suahelica. C. a. anderssoni(Roberts, 1936) occurs from southwestern Angola to northwestern South Africa. It has very dense throat and breast streaking, locally verging on solid black. C. a. constrictaClancey, 1965 which occurs from southern Mozambique to KwaZulu-Natal, is smaller than the nominate race, and has the upper part plumage greener and under part plumage more yellowish. [5]
The Mombasa woodpecker has yellower plumage below, [3] has brighter golden-green upper parts, with small white dots and no barring (and never drums). Cardinal, Bennett's, Reichenow's and Nubian woodpeckers are all browner above and more clearly barred, [7] and only the first of these is streaked below.
The red-throated wryneck, also known as the rufous-necked wryneck or red-breasted wryneck, is a species of wryneck in the woodpecker family closely related to the Eurasian wryneck. Its three subspecies are resident in much of sub-Saharan Africa in open habitats with some trees.
The African paradise flycatcher is a medium-sized passerine bird. The two central tail feathers of the male are extended into streamers that commonly are more than twice as long as the body. The female tail feathers are of moderate length and without streamers. The upper parts of the male body, wings, and tail are boldly coloured in chestnut or rusty shades, but the underparts and the head are variably grey to blue-gray, with the head of the mature male being darker, commonly glossy black with greenish highlights. The beak and other bare areas, including a wattle ring round the eye, match the colour of the surrounding feathers. The female coloration is similar, though not so showy and glossy and with the head paler.
The golden-olive woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found from Mexico south and east through Panama, in every mainland South American country except Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, and in Trinidad and Tobago.
The rufous woodpecker is a medium-sized brown woodpecker native to South and Southeast Asia. It is short-billed, foraging in pairs on small insects, particularly ants and termites, in scrub, evergreen, and deciduous forests and is noted for building its nest within the carton nests of arboreal ants in the genus Crematogaster. It was for sometime placed in the otherwise Neotropical genus Celeus but this has been shown to be a case of evolutionary convergence and molecular phylogenetic studies support its placement in the monotypic genus Micropternus.
The cardinal woodpecker is a widespread and common resident breeder in much of sub-Saharan Africa. It occurs in a wide range of habitats, ranging from dense forest to thorn bush. It is fairly vocal and is easily identified by its call notes. The sexes are distinguishable by their head patterns.
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. Its nearest relative is the monotypic genus Geocolaptes of southern Africa, which employs terrestrial foraging and breeding strategies. They are however not close relatives of similar-looking woodpeckers in the "Dendropicos clade".
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.
The little spotted woodpecker or green-backed woodpecker, is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is native to large parts of tropical central Africa. It has an extensive range and is an uncommon species, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The little green woodpecker, or golden-backed woodpecker, is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in Africa, living in forest edges, clearings, and forest-shrub mosaics. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a least-concern species.
The Knysna woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is endemic to South Africa, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, moist savanna, and subtropical or tropical moist shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss. It belongs to a species complex that includes the golden-tailed and Mombasa woodpeckers.
The green-barred woodpecker or green-barred flicker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The Andean flicker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru.
Stierling's woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is native to Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania where its natural habitat is tropical dry forests in the Eastern miombo woodlands ecoregion. It is threatened by habitat destruction. The bird is named in honour of the German bird collector N. Stierling.
The golden-green woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Panama and every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.
The yellow-throated woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.