Cardinal Woodpecker
Dendropicos fuscescens
- Class
- Bird
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 2,029
- Most observed in
- 🇿🇦 South Africa
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
The cardinal woodpecker (Dendropicos fuscescens) is a widespread and common resident breeder in much of sub-Saharan Africa. It occurs in a wide range of habitats, ranging from dense forest to thorn bush. It is fairly vocal and is easily identified by its call notes. The sexes are distinguishable by their head patterns. They feed primarily on tree-boring insects; using their adhering tongues they extract the insects from holes in wood or bark.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Cardinal woodpecker”.