Kingdom Animalia Genus Campethera Phylum Chordata Rank Species | Family Picidae Scientific name Campethera cailliautii Higher classification Campethera Order Piciformes | |
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Similar Campethera, Mombasa woodpecker, Speckle‑throated woodpecker, Speckle‑breasted woodpecker, Stierling's woodpecker | ||
The green-backed woodpecker or little spotted woodpecker (Campethera cailliautii), is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is native to large parts of tropical central Africa. It has an extremely wide range and is an uncommon species, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
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Description
The green-backed woodpecker grows to a length of about 16 cm (6.3 in). The male has a scarlet crown flecked with black and a bright red nape. The female has a blackish crown spotted with white, and a red nape. Both sexes have green upper parts, spotted with cream or yellow, and buff or white underparts, boldly spotted with black, and flanks barred with black. The tail is green with individual feathers having brownish shafts. There is a white supercilium, the eye ring is grey, the iris chestnut, the beak grey tipped with black and the legs and feet grey or olive. The juvenile is similar to the female in appearance, although the nape may have little red.
Distribution and habitat
The green-backed woodpecker is found in Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The habitat varies across the range, being variously wet or dry forest, gallery forest or flooded forest, scrub, savannah, coastal woodland, palm oil plantations, gardens or wooded villages. This is mostly a lowland bird, but it is found at altitudes of up to 2,100 m (6,900 ft).
Ecology
The green-backed woodpecker feeds largely on ants and termites which it finds on trees. It often forages in pairs or may form part of small groups of mixed bird species.