Golden-tailed woodpecker
| Golden-tailed woodpecker | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| male of the nominate race | |
| 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 |
|
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. It belongs to a species complex that includes the Knysna woodpecker to the south of its range, and the mostly allopatricMombasa woodpecker to the northeast, 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 to 21 cm from bill tip to tail tip. The southern races weigh about 70 g, but the northern race C. a. chrysura, only about 55 g. Males are on average larger and heavier then females. 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, the mandibles slate grey, and the legs and feet greenish-olive. Juveniles are heavily streaked on the throat and breast and barred on the belly. They and have mottled malar stripes, and a brown to brownish-grey iris.
Besides the single strident "waaa" or "weeea" call-note, usually by the male, it has a long-range and repeated yaooaak-yaaaaaak. It drums softly.
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. It may intensively forage small areas in the lower to middle strata of trees. It establishes fairly large territories of 10 to 15 ha, and can cover some distance between foraging sites.
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, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
...
Wikipedia