Nubian Woodpecker
Campethera nubica
Mid-sized green-backed woodpecker with intricate patterning. The crown is red in males, red and white-speckled black in females. Note the heavily streaked ear, bold spotting below, and plain white throat. Generally common and conspicuous in most types of savanna habitat. Usually in pairs, which give a loud duet of “keek” notes. Very similar to Bennett’s Woodpecker, but separated by the black-streaked ear. Also similar to Golden-tailed and Mombasa Woodpeckers, but easily separated by the spotted rather than striped underparts.
Identification
The Nubian woodpecker Is a medium-sized species growing to a length of about 21 cm (8.3 in). The male has a red crown and nape and a reddish streak on the cheek, while the female has a black crown speckled with white, a red nape, and a dark cheek stripe with white speckling. In other respects, the sexes are similar. The upper parts are olive-brown with much cream speckling and barring. The wings are greenish-brown barred with white and the tail greenish-yellow barred with brown, the shafts of the feathers being gold. The throat is cream and the head, neck, breast and belly are white, spotted and barred with black. The beak is grey with a dark tip, the eye red or pink, the orbital ring grey and the feet olive or grey. Various vocalisations are made, shrill ringing or piping notes repeated, often musical but sometimes metallic. Often sung in duet.
Taxonomy
The Nubian woodpecker was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1780 in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux from a specimen collected in Nubia. The bird was also illustrated in a hand-coloured plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle which was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. Neither the plate caption nor Buffon's description included a scientific name but in 1783 the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert coined the binomial name Picus nubicus in his catalogue of the Planches Enluminées. The Nubian woodpecker is now placed in the genus Campethera that was introduced by the English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1841. The generic name combines the Ancient Greek kampē meaning "caterpillar" and -thēras meaning "hunter".<p>Two subspecies are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Campethera nubica
- Authority
- (Boddaert, 1783)
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Picidae
- Genus
- Campethera
Range and habitat
The Nubian woodpecker is endemic to eastern Africa. Its range includes Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Its typical habitat is open savannah woodland, especially with Acacia and Euphorbia, bushy areas and scrub. It is a non-migratory bird, and is found at altitudes up to 2,000 m (6,600 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Cassin's Spinetail
Neafrapus cassini
A distinctive swift of lowland forest that appears nearly tailless. The wings appear “pinched” at the body but are otherwise fairly straight and broad. Distinctively patterned, with a black throat, wings, and back, a white belly, a white vent, and a narrow white band on top of the rump. Vocalizations and nests are undescribed. Overall pattern is similar to Sabine’s Spinetail, but Cassin’s extremely short tail gives it a unique, forward-heavy profile.
Red-rumped Woodpecker
Veniliornis kirkii
Small, relatively drab woodpecker; olive-brown above and barred brown and white below. Both sexes have a yellow nape and a red rump (although this can be difficult to see). Males also have a red crown. Look for singles or pairs foraging at all levels in lowland forest, second growth, and mangroves. Often follows mixed-species flocks.
Australasian Grass-Owl
Tyto longimembris
Reclusive and rarely seen owl of cane fields, meadows, and other areas with tall grassy cover. Tan-brown overall with black, white, and orange mottling on the wings. Flies low over grassy areas, primarily during dawn and dusk, often with long legs dangling. Heart-shaped facial disk, very similar to Barn Owl and Masked Owls. Nests in dense fields; fluffy owlets often exposed during harvesting season in agricultural areas.
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