African Gray Woodpecker
Dendropicos goertae
A mid-sized woodpecker with a yellow-green back and gray underparts. The crown is red in males and plain gray in females. Can show a small orange or bright red patch on the center of the belly. Found in a wide variety of habitats including savanna, woodland, gardens, farmland, mangroves, forest edge, and gallery forest. The main call is an agitated series of rising “k-k-kree” calls. The range overlaps slightly with the very similar Mountain Gray Woodpecker. Distinguished by the barring on the wing and undertail and the lack of a large, deep red belly patch.
Identification
Like other woodpeckers, this species has a straight pointed bill, a stiff tail to provide support against tree trunks, and zygodactyl or “yoked" feet, with two toes pointing forward, and two backward. The long tongue can be darted forward to capture insects. This bird is 20 cm (7.9 in) in length. It is a typical woodpecker shape, and has unmarked green upperparts and a pale grey head and underparts. The rump is red, and there is a small red belly patch. The short tail is blackish. The adult male grey woodpecker has a red crown. Females have a plain grey head, lacking the red crown. Young birds are like the female, but the reds are paler, and there may be some flank barring.
Taxonomy
The African grey woodpecker was described by the German zoologist Philipp Ludwig Statius Müller in 1776 from a specimen collected in Senegal. He coined the binomial name Picus goertae. The specific epithet is from the French polymath Comte de Buffon who noted that "Goërtan" was the name used for the species in Senegal. The species was also illustrated in a set of plates that accompanied Brisson's work. The African grey woodpecker is now placed in the genus Dendropicos that was introduced by the French ornithologist Alfred Malherbe in 1849.<p>Five subspecies are recognised:<p>The African grey woodpecker and the eastern grey woodpecker (Picidae spodocephalus) were formerly treated as conspecific.
- Scientific name
- Dendropicos goertae
- Authority
- (Müller, PLS, 1776)
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Picidae
- Genus
- Dendropicos
Range and habitat
The African grey woodpecker is native to tropical parts of western and central Africa. Its range includes Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda. Its typical habitat includes woodland, savannah with isolated trees, copses of larger trees, riverside forest and pasture.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Like other woodpeckers, this species is an insectivore. It is frequently seen, and regularly taps or drums. The call is a loud and fast peet-peet-peet-peet.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Yellow-casqued Hornbill
Ceratogymna elata
Huge, spectacular, mostly black hornbill. Males have a large cream-and-white bill, and females a much smaller horn-colored one. In flight, shows a mostly white tail with a black center. Found in lowland rainforest, forest edge, and gallery forest. Usually in pairs or small groups of up to a dozen. The loud calls are surprisingly high-pitched yelps and honks that are often given in a quick series, higher and less rasping than similar calls of Black-casqued Hornbill. Similar to Black-casqued Hornbill in appearance, but male separated by the yellow casque, female by the paler bill and neck, and both sexes by the completely white outer tail feathers.
White-bellied Woodpecker
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Impressive large black woodpecker a white belly and pale eyes. Male has a bright red crest, whereas female has an all-dark one. Large size and mostly black plumage distinguishes this species from any other woodpecker in range. Gives a loud “kyick!” and a prolonged series of “keck” notes. Usually seen on or around tall dead trees both standing and fallen, either singly or in pairs.
Russet-crowned Quail-Dove
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A plump ground-dwelling dove with limited range in eastern Panama and barely into Colombia. Brownish above with a grayer breast, whitish face, and reddish legs. Namesake rufous crown is distinctive. Most common in foothills from around 750–1,600 m, but sometimes lower. Like other quail-doves walks stealthily on the forest floor, singly or in pairs. Perhaps most easily seen beside quiet trails early and late in the day. Heard more often than seen.
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