Bennett's Woodpecker

Campethera bennettii

Female Bennett's Woodpecker
Photo by safariranger
Kruger National Park, South Africa

Male Bennett's Woodpecker
Photo by Alan Manson
Kruger National Park, South Africa

Identification

The female as shown has diagnostic brown throat and cheek stripe. The male has a full red crown and moustachial stripes contrasting with plain face and throat.

Distribution

From South Africa north to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania.

Taxonomy

Closely related to Speckle-throated Woodpecker, Nubian Woodpecker, and Fine-spotted Woodpecker.

Two subspecies:

• C. b. bennettii, the eastern race, has creamy white to pale buff underparts with dark brown spots; and
• C. b. capricorni from northern Namibia, northern Botswana, Angola and western Zambia has yellow underparts that are only weakly and finely spotted (appearing unmarked in the field).

Habitat

Woodland and savanna with tall trees.

Behaviour

Usually in pairs or small family groups. Feeds mostly on the ground mostly on ants, ant eggs and ant pupae. Also eats other insects. Sometimes joins mixed-species feeding flocks.

Breeding: Monogamous and territorial. Nests in holes in trees, often using those excavated by other Woodpeckers. Two to six eggs are laid August-February.

References

Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ & Ryan PG (eds) 2005. Robert's Birds of Southern Africa, 7th edition. John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town, South Africa. ISBN 0620340533

External Links

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