Gabon woodpecker
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Dendropicos gabonensis

The Gabon woodpecker (Dendropicos gabonensis ) is a species of small woodpecker in the family Picidae which occurs in western central Africa.

Appearance

The Gabon woodpecker is a small woodpecker with a short bill which is quite broad at the base. It has plain green upperparts, a plain dark tail and heavily spotted underparts with a yellowish background colour. The crown is brownish but the males have a red hindcrown and nape, as well as an indistinct, narrow moustachial. The adult females lack red on the head, however both sexes of juveniles have red on the centre of the crown. The subspecies D.g. reichenowi has a more distinct moustachial stripe, broader underpart streaking and a lesser extent of red on the adult male's head than the nominate subspecies. They are 16–17 cm in length and weigh 24–30 g.

Distribution

Geography

The Gabon woodpecker occurs in forest edge, tall secondary growth and the wooded edges of farmland, normally lower than 1400m above sea level. It avoids dense forest and savannas.

Habits and Lifestyle

The Gabon woodpecker breeds in September and October in the west and June in Uganda. It forages by probing into and gleaning from bark, as well as pecking at and prising off pieces of bark and soft wood.

Lifestyle
Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

References

1. Gabon woodpecker Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabon_woodpecker
2. Gabon woodpecker on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22730264/95025844
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/622045

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