Knysna woodpecker
Knysna woodpecker | |
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Campethera notata, Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Piciformes |
Family: | Picidae |
Genus: | Campethera |
Species: | C. notata
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Binomial name | |
Campethera notata (Lichtenstein, MHC, 1823) [2]
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resident range |
The Knysna woodpecker (Campethera notata) is a species of
Description
This species is distinguished from the other South African woodpeckers by its thickly spotted under-surface which is covered with black spots from the chin to the vent. Males and females differ slightly. Males have an olive-green color above with indistinct, small transverse bars and a few diamond-shaped sub-terminal spots that are a paler olive-yellow. The female Knysna woodpecker is similar to the male, but the black head is spotted with white and only the
The quills are brown, except for near the base where they are externally olive. The secondary quills are olive-brown, duller than the back, and transversely barred with a yellow-tinged white. The primaries are externally spotted with yellow, notched on the inner web with white, and the shafts are brown. The tail is olive-brown shaded with an almost green color and crossed with six bars of an almost yellow color. The tips of the feathers are a dull golden, while the shafts are golden brown.
Its head is a gray-black color and all of the feathers on it are tipped with scarlet. The occipital crest (located at the base of the cranium) is completely bright scarlet in color. Its lores are yellowish and minutely spotted with black. The ear-coverts are whitish and streaked with black, while the foreparts of its cheeks are scarlet. The rest of the sides of its face and neck are yellowish white, thickly mottled with black. The feathers in this area are black with a narrow whitish edging.
The underside of its body is yellowish, but white on the throat, and, as mentioned above, thickly spotted. These spots are rounded and very large on the breast, but more diamond-shaped on the abdomen. Its flanks are barred with dusky black and the underwing coverts are yellow with black round spots as on the breast.
Its eyes are hazel colored. Approximate length is 8.5 in (22 cm).[5]
Feeding and foraging
The Knysna woodpecker feeds mainly on ants and ant
Reproduction
Breeding takes place in August–November (mainly October) and the pairs are widely spaced.[8] The nest hole is excavated in a dead tree trunk or branch. It has a clutch size of 2–4 eggs, which it incubates for 13–21 days, followed by a fledgling period of 4–6 days.[7]
Distribution and habitat
The Knysna woodpecker is endemic to South Africa.[7] It is thinly dispersed across the coastal lowlands of South Africa and extends north into southern KwaZulu-Natal and west to near Bredasdorp, Western Cape. This species is common locally, but not over its entire coastal range. The total range is less than 50,000 km2 (19,000 sq mi) and its total population has been estimated at 1,500–5,000 individuals, of which 1,000-3,300 are assumed to be mature birds.[6]
Conservation status and threats
Although the Knysna woodpecker has not yet been classified as
References
- ^ . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ Peterson, Alan P. "ITIS Standard Report Page: Campethera Notata." ITIS Standard Report Page: Campethera Notata. Interagency Taxonomic Information System, n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015
- S2CID 243264158. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ Layard, Edgar Leopold, and R. Bowdler Sharpe. The Birds of South Africa. London: Bernard Quaritch, 1875. Print.
- ^ Haagner, Alwin, and Robert H. Ivy. Sketches of South African Bird-life. Cape Town: T. Maskew Miller, 1914. Print.
- ^ a b c BirdLife International (2015) Species factsheet: Campethera notata. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 04/03/2015.
- ^ a b c "Campethera notata (Knysna woodpecker)". www.biodiversityexplorer.org. Archived from the original on 2011-01-04.
- S2CID 241948229.
External links
- Knysna woodpecker - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds