From Opus

Photo by jdbirdman

Dendropicos fuscescens

[edit] Identification

14-15 cm.

• White underparts, streaked black
• Tawny rump
• Dull olive back with white spots
• White throat and face
• Black malar stripe
• Brown forecrown.
  

Male - red hind crown and nape
Female - dark hindcrown, black nape
Juvenile - red hindcrown and black nape

Female
Photo by Mark Fisher
Magaliesburg, South Africa, June 2005

[edit] Distribution

Sub-Saharan Africa.

[edit] Taxonomy

[edit] Subspecies^[1]

Dendropicos fuscescens has nine subspecies:

• D. f. fuscescens:

• North-central Namibia through South Africa to southern Transvaal and western Natal

• D. f. intermedius:

• Natal and Transvaal to Mozambique (lower Zambesi River)

• D. f. centralis:

• Eastern Angola to northern Namibia, southern Zaire, western Tanzania and Zambia

• D. f. hartlaubii:

• Coastal southern Kenya to Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique

• D. f. lafresnayi:

• Senegambia and Sierra Leone to Nigeria

• D. f. sharpii:

• Cameroon to southern Sudan, western Zaire and northern Angola

• D. f. lepidus:

• Eastern Zaire to highlands of Ethiopia to Uganda, Kenya, north-western Tanzania

• D. f.massaicus:

• Southern Ethiopia, inland and western Kenya and north-central Tanzania

• D. f. hemprichii:

• Lower elevations of Ethiopia to Somalia and eastern Kenya

[edit] Habitat

Ranges from dense forest to dry savanna and bushland.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Diet

The diet includes termits, insect larvae and pupae, and spiders. Also sometimes eats fruit.

[edit] Breeding

It nests in a tree hole lined with wood chippings. One to three eggs are incubated for 12-13 days by both adults. Parasitised by Scaly-throated Honeyguide and Lesser Honeyguide.

[edit] Vocalisation

Call - high-pitched krrrek-krrrek-krrrek.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
2. Hockey, PAR, WRJ Dean, and PG Ryan, eds. 2005. Roberts' Birds of Southern Africa. 7th ed. Cape Town: John Voelcker Bird Book Fund. ISBN 978-0620340533
3. Wikipedia

• List of references

[edit] External Links