Ground woodpecker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ground woodpecker |
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|---|---|
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| In South Africa | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Geocolaptes
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| Species: |
olivaceus
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The ground woodpecker (Geocolaptes olivaceus) is a special bird! It's one of only three woodpecker types in the world that mostly lives and finds food on the ground, not in trees. The other two are the Andean flicker and the campo flicker. You can find ground woodpeckers in cool, hilly, and mountainous parts of South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini. They like places with lots of rocks and steep slopes. They haven't been seen anywhere else in the world outside of Southern Africa.
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Meet the Ground Woodpecker: What Makes It Unique?
The ground woodpecker is probably the biggest woodpecker in Africa. It grows to be about 22 to 30 centimeters (9 to 12 inches) long. It weighs around 120 grams (4 ounces), which is about as much as a small apple.
What Does It Look Like?
This bird has brownish-grey feathers on its back with light spots. Its lower back, called the rump, is bright red. You can see this red color easily when the bird flies. The top of its wings and tail are brown with white stripes. Its belly is a pale yellowish-pink or red color. The underside of its tail is light brown with paler stripes.
The ground woodpecker has a long, thin black beak. Its eyes can be pink or yellow, and its legs are grey. Both male and female ground woodpeckers look quite similar. However, the female usually has a little less red and pink on her feathers than the male. Young ground woodpeckers look a lot like the females.
Life and Habits: How Ground Woodpeckers Live
Ground woodpeckers usually live in pairs or small groups. You can often find them by listening for their loud, rough two-note call. It sounds like "chik-ree, chik-ree!" When they make this call, they often swing their heads. They also like to peek over or around rocks if they see something new or someone approaching.
What Do They Eat?
The main food for ground woodpeckers is ants. They eat the ants themselves, along with their eggs, larvae (young ants), and pupae. They use their long, sticky tongues to pull these out from dead wood or from between rocks. They also look for food on the ground. They will flick away dead leaves, much like other woodpeckers called "flickers" do.
Teamwork and Safety
Ground woodpeckers are very good at working together. One bird will often stand on a high rock or spot. This bird acts as a lookout, watching for predators like hawks or eagles flying overhead. Every 10 minutes or so, another bird from the group will take over the lookout duty. This way, the whole group stays safe while others search for food.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Ground woodpeckers lay their eggs in the spring and early summer. This is usually from August to November in Southern Africa. They build their nests in tunnels. These tunnels are dug into the side of a vertical bank, often near a stream or a place where water flows. At the end of the tunnel, there's a special chamber where the eggs are laid. Usually, they lay three shiny white eggs.
Gallery
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A pair illustrated by C. G. Finch-Davies (1875–1920) -
Foraging in grassland -
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Pair perched on a sandstone prominence
