White Woodpecker
Melanerpes candidus
Strikingly-plumaged medium-sized woodpecker, mostly white with dark wings and back contrasting with yellow goggles with a dark eye stripe. Males have a yellowish nape. Often seen in small groups foraging in open areas, savannas, and dry forests. Makes a series of ternlike “krreee, krreeee” calls.
识别特征
This woodpecker grows to a length of 24 to 29 cm (9.4 to 11.4 in) and weighs around 108 g (3.8 oz), with a range of 98 to 131 g (3.5 to 4.6 oz). It is one of the largest Melanerpes woodpeckers along with the Jamaican woodpecker and Lewis' woodpecker. The mantle, back, wings and tail of the adult are black, the flight feathers being brownish-black above and the underside of the wings being greyish-black. The crown, face, rump and underparts are white, sometimes with some buff shading. The male has some yellowing of the breast and nape which the female lacks, and both sexes have a certain amount of yellow on the belly. A narrow black stripe runs from behind the eye to the nape. There is a bare ring of yellow skin around the eye which has a yellowish iris. The beak is long and grey, paler near the base, and the legs are grey. Juveniles are browner and less glossy than the adults, with the pale areas being buff rather than white. The orbital ring on juveniles is grey rather than yellow, and both sexes may have some yellow on the nape.
分类信息
The species was first described as Melanerpes candidus in 1796 by the French naturalist Bernhard Christian Otto, the type locality being Cayenne. It is sometimes placed in its own genus Leuconerpes, but shows many similarities in morphology to Melanerpes. No subspecies are known (monotypic).
- 学名
- Melanerpes candidus
- 命名信息
- (Otto, 1796)
- 目
- Piciformes
- 科
- Picidae
- 属
- Melanerpes
分布与栖息地
The white woodpecker has a large distribution in South America to the east of the Andes. Its range extends from Suriname and French Guiana, through much of Brazil to southeastern Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and northern Argentina. It is found at altitudes of up to about 2,000 m (6,600 ft), and is non-migratory, but prone to making short distance movements. Its habitat is forest edges, open dry woodland, wooded savannah, scrubland with scattered trees, plantations, orchards, parkland and mangroves. It is opportunistic and adaptable, being seen in city suburbs, and expanding its range into areas of felled timber.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
Groups of up to ten white woodpeckers are sometimes seen flying with floppy wing-beats in procession. The diet is varied and includes fruits, berries and seeds, the bird being a significant disperser of some species of seed. It forages in noisy family groups and also raids wild bee and wasp nests, feeding on the adult insects, larvae and honey. It breeds between September and November. It may sometimes nest communally, but very little is known of its breeding habits.
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- rising
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Buff-bellied Monarch
Neolalage banksiana
A strikingly beautiful flycatcher with a bright golden belly, a pure white face, and a black back, cap, and chest band. Tail black with white tip, rump white. Wings black with large white panels. Found in most wooded habitats up to 1200 meters of elevation, including gardens. Usually forages low down, frequently fanning its tail and always moving. Behavior separates it from the superficially similar Vanuatu Whistler. Common calls include a scolding “tze” and a long, quavering thin whistle.
Dark-backed Weaver
Ploceus bicolor
An atypical and distinctive weaver. Shows a dark back, yellow underparts, and a pale bill. There is geographical variation: some populations show a dark gray back, while others are black, and the throat varies from yellow to gray-spotted to black. Found in forest and thick woodland, including miombo. Usually in pairs; rarely in flocks. The distinctive song is a syncopated mix of very different call types, usually given as a duet. Other forest-dwelling weavers are somewhat similar but always show greenish tones on their backs and/or rufous tones on their underparts.
Zeledon's Antbird
Hafferia zeledoni
A nondescript antbird; male entirely black and female entirely dark brown. Only notable feature is the pale blue skin around the eye on both sexes. Listen for loud song, a series of even whistled notes. Rather large and chunky. Look for the tail being raised and lowered slowly. Typically found in pairs in the dark forest understory, sometimes following a mixed flock or ant swarm.
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