Picchio grigio africano

Dendropicos goertae

Un picchio di medie dimensioni con dorso verde-giallo e parti inferiori grigie. La corona è rossa nei maschi e grigia uniforme nelle femmine. Può mostrare una piccola macchia arancione o rosso brillante al centro del ventre. Si trova in una vasta varietà di habitat inclusi savana, boschi, giardini, terreni agricoli, mangrovie, margini della foresta e foreste a galleria. Il richiamo principale è una serie agitata di richiami ascendenti "k-k-kree". L'areale si sovrappone leggermente con il molto simile Picchio grigio di montagna. Distinto dalla barratura sull'ala e sul sottocoda e dalla mancanza di una grande macchia ventrale rosso intenso.

Identificazione

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.

Tassonomia

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.

Nome scientifico
Dendropicos goertae
Autorità
(Müller, PLS, 1776)
Ordine
Piciformi
Famiglia
Picidae
Genere
Dendropicos

Areale e 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.

Migrazione
Resident species

Comportamento

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.

Conservazione

Tendenza della popolazione
stable

Foto

Distribuzione

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