Brown-backed Woodpecker
Dendropicos obsoletus
A small, short-tailed woodpecker with a brown back. Note the white facial streaks that frame a dark cheek. Males have a red back of the cap and females a completely dark cap. Found in a variety of open habitats, including savanna, woodland, scrub, and forest edge. Most similar to Cardinal Woodpecker, but separated by the dark cheek and the plain brown back. Vocalizations include a series of several wailing notes and a quiet rattling.
Identification
The brown-backed woodpecker is a small species, growing to a length of between 13 and 16 cm (5.1 and 6.3 in). The beak is long and chisel-tipped with a wide base. The male has a red hind crown and nape while the female lacks these. Otherwise the sexes are similar, the head is brown with a white supercilium and moustache and dark ear coverts. The body plumage is brown with white barring on the wings and tail and the underparts are whitish, with variable amounts of dark streaking. When the feathers are worn, this bird looks rather pale and can be confused with the little grey woodpecker (Dendropicos elachus).
Taxonomy
The brown-backed woodpecker was described by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler in 1829 under the binomial name Picus obsoletus. He specified the type locality as Senegambia. The specific epithet is from the Latin obsoletus meaning "plain" or "ordinary". Before the introduction of molecular phylogenetics the relationship to other woodpeckers was uncertain. In 1948 the American ornithologist James Peter placed the brown-backed woodpecker in the genus Dendrocopos in his Check-List of Birds of the World, and in 2013 it was assigned to its own genus Ipophilius by Edward Dickinson and Leslie Christidis in the fourth edition of the Howard and Moore Complete of the Birds of the World. The species is now placed in the genus Dendropicos that was introduced by the French ornithologist Alfred Malherbe in 1849. A genetic study of the African woodpeckers has shown that the brown-backed woodpecker is most closely related to Stierling's woodpecker (Dendropicos stierlingi).<p>Four subspecies are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Dendropicos obsoletus
- Authority
- (Wagler, 1829)
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Picidae
- Genus
- Dendropicos
Range and habitat
Its range extends across the entire Sudan region and the southern part of the Sahel, from Guinea Bissau to Eritrea and northern Tanzania. It inhabits open, dry areas, scrubland, the edges of woodland, especially Combretum woodland and Hagenia forest, savannah with scattered trees and suburban gardens. Its altitudinal range is from sea level to about 2,300 m (7,500 ft), and even higher on Mount Kenya.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Breeding occurs between February and June. The nest is excavated in a dead or living tree at height of 1.5 to 6 m (4 ft 11 in to 19 ft 8 in) above the ground. The tree may be at the edge of wood or in an isolated position away from other trees. The clutch of 2 eggs is incubated by both adults. Both adults also feed the young.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Crested Pigeon
Ocyphaps lophotes
A common gray pigeon that is easily identified by the long pointed crest on the top of its head. Mostly pale gray with bright iridescence on wings. Feeds only on the ground. Takes flight with noisy wing-claps, and in flight has a wing-whistle which makes it sound like a wind-up toy. Common in open habitats and is often present in suburban areas.
Aceh Bulbul
Pycnonotus snouckaerti
Rare and declining endemic of Sumatra’s northwestern mountains. Large grayish-brown bulbul with a bright orange forehead patch, dark olive wings, and a weak crest that gives it a pointy-headed profile. Once regarded as a subspecies of the very similar Orange-spotted Bulbul, but note present species’ distribution and dark (not white) belly. Inhabits foothill and lower montane forests, where localized and largely restricted to clearings with a substantial understory. Calls are generally similar to those of Orange-spotted Bulbul, and include a bubbly chatter.
Brown Skua
Stercorarius antarcticus
Large, dark brown skua with a very robust beak. Several subspecies vary in plumage from largely dark to mottled pale brown. In flight, exhibits a broad white patch on both upperwings and underwings. Usually seen well offshore, less often towards the coast; often follows boats. Lacks the capped appearance of Great and Chilean Skuas, and has darker underwing coverts than those species. The dark morph of South Polar Skua has colder tones and a smaller bill, but field separation is difficult.
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