Bearded woodpecker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bearded woodpecker |
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| Female at Maasai Mara, Kenya | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Chloropicus
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| Species: |
namaquus
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| Synonyms | |
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Thripias namaquus |
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The bearded woodpecker (Chloropicus namaquus) is a cool type of bird that lives in Africa. It's part of the Picidae family, which means it's related to other woodpeckers. This bird has a special look with a black and white head and a body that's brownish with stripes. It lives in many parts of central Africa. Scientists say it's doing well and isn't a "least concern" for now, meaning there are plenty of them around.
What Does the Bearded Woodpecker Look Like?
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The bearded woodpecker is one of the biggest woodpeckers in Africa. It can grow to be about 25 centimeters (10 inches) long. Its head is very easy to spot! It has a black "moustache" and a wide black stripe over its eyes. The top of its head is black too. All these dark colors stand out against its white eyebrows, face, chin, and throat.
Male bearded woodpeckers have a red patch on the back of their head. Females do not have this red patch. The bird's back is black, and the rest of its upper body is yellowish-brown with thin white stripes. Its tail is brown with white stripes, and the feathers have yellowish centers. The underside of its body is gray with thin white stripes. It has a large, grayish-black beak, gray legs, and red eyes.
Young bearded woodpeckers look a lot like the adults. However, their upper bodies might have a slight green color and their stripes are not as clear. Both young males and females have some red on their heads.
Where Do Bearded Woodpeckers Live?
You can find the bearded woodpecker in many countries across Africa. These include Angola, Botswana, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
They live in many different kinds of places. They like woodlands with big trees, and areas with special trees like Brachystegia and Acacia. They also live at the edges of forests along rivers and in bushy areas. You can find them from lowlands all the way up to mountains, sometimes as high as 3,000 meters (about 9,800 feet).
How Do Bearded Woodpeckers Live?
Bearded woodpeckers often look for food in pairs. They talk to each other with calls and flick their wings as they make sounds. Each bird will spend a long time on one tree. They use their strong beaks to hammer, poke, and peck at the wood. They also pick up any insects they see. After a while, they fly to another tree, which can sometimes be far away.
Their main food is insects and their young (called larvae). They also eat spiders, caterpillars, and ants. Sometimes, they even catch small animals like geckos and tiny lizards!
These birds often make loud drumming sounds on tree branches. They usually finish each drum-roll with four quick taps. They make their nests by drilling a hole in dead wood. These nest holes can be as high as 20 meters (about 65 feet) off the ground.
A female bearded woodpecker usually lays about three eggs. Both parents take turns sitting on the eggs, and they hatch after thirteen days. The baby birds stay in the nest for about four weeks, and both parents help take care of them.
