Campethera scriptoricauda
The Speckle-throated Woodpecker (Campethera scriptoricauda) is a medium-sized, strikingly patterned member of the Picidae family, hypothetically endemic to the woodlands of central and eastern Africa. Adults typically measure 20-22 cm in length and weigh between 55-70 grams, with a wingspan of 35-38 cm. Its most distinctive feature, and the origin of its common name, is the heavily speckled or barred throat plumage, which contrasts with a pale breast and belly. The back and wings are generall...
This species inhabits a variety of open woodlands, miombo forests, and savanna habitats, typically at elevations ranging from 500 to 2,000 meters above sea level.
Their diet consists predominantly of arboreal ants, termites, and beetle larvae, extracted from wood or bark surfaces using a specialized barbed tongue and powerful bill.
Speckle-throated Woodpeckers are primarily diurnal, beginning their foraging activities shortly after dawn and roosting in excavated tree cavities at dusk. They employ a 'glean-and-probe' foraging strategy, meticulously searching tree trunks and branches for insects, often focusing on ants and te...
The Speckle-throated Woodpecker is a resident species found across a broad swathe of central and eastern Africa. Its primary range extends from southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo eastward through Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, and south into Zambia, Malawi, and northern Mozambiq...
Least Concern
- The Speckle-throated Woodpecker possesses an exceptionally long, barbed tongue, which it can extend far beyond its bill to extract ants and termites from deep crevices. - Unlike many woodpeckers that primarily drum for communication, this species has a unique, rapid churring call that is its mo...