- Dendropicos obsoletus
Ipophilus obsoletus
Picoides obsoletus
Dendrocopos obsoletus
Chloropicus obsoletus
Identification
13–16 cm (5-6¼ in)
Male
- Light brown forehead
- Darker crown
- Red nape
- White supercilium
Similar Species
The female is very similar to the slightly smaller Little Grey Woodpecker.
Distribution
Africa
Western Africa: Mauritania, Senegambia, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, DRC
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 4 subspecies[1]:
- D. o. obsoletus:
- Senegambia to southern Cameroon, north-eastern Zaire, western Sudan and Uganda
- D. o. heuglini:
- D. o. ingens:
- D. o. crateri:
- Northern Tanzania (Crater Highlands south to Nou Forest)
Habitat
Dryish areas of scrub, wooded grassland, and areas close to cultivated land.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists not only of insects but also fruits. The will join mixed species flocks as well as foraging singly and in pairs.
Breeding
The nest cavity is excavated by both adults.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved December 2016)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Brown-backed Woodpecker. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Brown-backed_Woodpecker
External Links
Search the Gallery using the scientific name:
Search the Gallery using the common name:
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
