Levaillant's woodpecker

Last updated

Levaillant’s woodpecker
Levaillant's Woodpecker - Oukaimeden Marocco 07 6526.jpg
male
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Genus: Picus
Species:
P. vaillantii
Binomial name
Picus vaillantii
(Malherbe, 1847)
Egg of Picus vaillantii MHNT Picus vaillantii MHNT ZOO 2010 11 162 HdB Djelfa.jpg
Egg of Picus vaillantii MHNT

Levaillant's woodpecker (Picus vaillantii) or Levaillant's green woodpecker, is a large African member of the woodpecker family Picidae.

Contents

Taxonomy

Levaillant's woodpecker is sometimes considered a subspecies of the European green woodpecker. It is monotypic, meaning it has no subspecies.

This species was named in honour of the French explorer, collector and ornithologist, François Le Vaillant. [2]

Distribution and habitat

Levaillant's woodpecker is found in the three Maghreb countries Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia in northwest Africa. It breeds in mountain forests up to the treeline at around 2000m.

Description

Levaillant's woodpecker is 30–33 cm in length with a 45–51 cm wingspan. It is very similar to the European green woodpecker and the Iberian Green woodpecker (especially females). Both Levaillant's woodpecker and the Iberian Green woodpecker were formerly considered subspecies of P. viridis.

Levaillant's woodpecker is dark green above and yellowish green below, with a crimson nape. The black moustache has a pale border above. The rump is chrome yellow and the outer webs of the primaries are barred black and white. The bill and feet are slate grey.

Sexes are similar except that the male has a crimson crown, whereas the female's crown is grey. Like .P. v. sharpei, both sexes lack the black on the lores and around the eye shown by most forms of the green woodpecker.

The call is a loud ringing laugh, plue, plue, plue, very like the green woodpecker's yaffle, but perhaps slightly faster.

Behaviour

This woodpecker's insect food is captured by a rapid outward flick of the long tongue, and gummed to its tip by sticky saliva. Though a large and heavy bird it has an easy, bounding flight. The nest is a hole in a tree, and 4-8 glossy white eggs are laid on wood chips.

Related Research Articles

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

The lesser spotted woodpecker is a member of the woodpecker family Picidae. It was formerly assigned to the genus Dendrocopos. Some taxonomic authorities continue to list the species there.

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

The European green woodpecker is a large green woodpecker with a bright red crown and a black moustache. Males have a red centre to the moustache stripe which is absent in females. It is resident across much of Europe and the western Palearctic but in Spain and Portugal it is replaced by the similar Iberian green woodpecker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western yellow wagtail</span> Species of bird

The western yellow wagtail is a small passerine in the wagtail family Motacillidae, which also includes the pipits and longclaws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser yellownape</span> Species of bird

The lesser yellownape is a type of woodpecker which is a widespread and often common breeder in tropical and sub-tropical Asia, primarily the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It ranges from India, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka eastwards to Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. Much of the scientific knowledge gathered about this species is sourced from formal studies in various parts of India.

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

The white-backed woodpecker is a Eurasian woodpecker belonging to the genus Dendrocopos.

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

The Syrian woodpecker is a member of the woodpecker family, the Picidae.

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

The grey-headed woodpecker, also known as the grey-faced woodpecker, is a Eurasian member of the woodpecker family, Picidae. Along with the more commonly found European green woodpecker and the Iberian green woodpecker, it is one of three closely related sister species found in Europe. Its distribution stretches across large parts of the central and Eastern Palaearctic, all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

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

The lineated woodpecker is a very large woodpecker which is a resident breeding bird from southern Mexico to northern Argentina and Trinidad in the Caribbean.

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

The crimson-crested woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Panama, Trinidad, and in every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.

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

Japanese green woodpecker or Japanese woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker similar and closely related to the European green woodpecker, but endemic to Japan.

<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

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".

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

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.

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

The Nubian woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is distributed widely in Central and Eastern Africa, from Chad in west to Somalia in east and Tanzania in south. It is a fairly common species with a wide range, the population seems stable, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

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

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.

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

The crimson-mantled woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

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

The black-headed woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It typically inhabits deciduous and coniferous forests and is found in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

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

The bearded woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It has a distinctive black and white head and brownish barred body. It is native to tropical central Africa. It has an extremely wide range and is a fairly common species, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern". Some taxonomic authorities place this species in Dendropicos.

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

The melancholy woodpecker is a species of woodpecker. It is found in West Africa from Sierra Leone east to Nigeria, living in forests, forest edges, clearings and woodlands. It is sometimes considered to be a subspecies of the Gabon woodpecker. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as a least-concern species.

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

The Iberian green woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker endemic to the Iberian peninsula. It was formerly considered as a subspecies of the European green woodpecker but differs in having little black on the head and a dusky rather than a black ring around each eye.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Picus vaillantii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22681474A92908280. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22681474A92908280.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael (2003). Whose Bird? Men and Women Commemorated in the Common Names of Birds. London: Christopher Helm. p. 205.