Woodpeckers of the World: February 2017

Wednesday, 22 February 2017

Ground Woodpecker adult male

Following on from the previous post, here is a male Ground Woodpecker Geocolaptes olivaceus. Photo taken in February 2017 in the Sani Pass, Lesotho. A few hundred metres above the site where the previous image was taken (Gerard Gorman).

Friday, 17 February 2017

Ground Woodpecker - habitat and nest holes

The Ground Woodpecker (Geocolaptes olivaceus) is a woodpecker which does not peck wood. It is arguably the most terrestrial woodpecker species on the planet, rarely seen near trees. Here is an image of its habitat and an earth bank with nesting holes (see very top right of the bank). This species is endemic to southern Africa (South Africa and Lesotho), where it is not uncommon locally. This location was in the Sani Pass in SA at around 2500m above sea-level (Gerard Gorman).

Background

Woodpeckers, the Picidae, are Piciformes, an order that includes some of the oldest avian lineages. The Piciformes probably originated about 60 million years ago in the Tertiary period and became distinct from their closest relatives some 50 million years ago. Depending upon which taxonomy is followed, and the fact that the status of some species is unclear, around 240-260 woodpecker species probably exist globally. The Picidae includes three subfamilies: Jynginae (wrynecks), Picumninae (piculets) and the Picinae, the “true woodpeckers”. In terms of size, behaviour, distribution and the habitats they use, the Picinae are a fairly diverse group of birds with six distinct tribes. They are widespread and found from sea-level to high-altitudes but absent from the Arctic, Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Madagascar and some other islands. Worldwide woodpeckers are usually, but not exclusively, associated with trees.