Woodpeckers of the World: Picid in Focus: Knysna Woodpecker

Sunday 9 October 2011

Picid in Focus: Knysna Woodpecker

Knysna Woodpecker Campethera notata is endemic to South Africa. The sexes differ slightly with males (as in this photo) having an all-red-crown and nape and a red malar stripe, whilst female has red only on the hind-crown and an indistinct black malar. It is classed as 'near threatened' due to having a restricted range. The species is found in coastal, lowland, evergreen woodlands, scrub, bush and thickets, especially with euphorbia and milkwood, mainly along the Eastern Cape but also northwards into southern KwaZulu-Natal. Photo by Warwick Tarboton.

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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.