INDEX - Africa
INDEX - World 
BIRDS of THE WORLD

PICIFORMES of Africa

The order Piciformes is made up of the woodpecker family Picidae plus 8 other families. Picidae make up about half of the species. In general, the Piciformes are insectivorous, but some exceptions eat mostly fruit. Nearly all Piciformes have parrot-like feet—two toes forward and two back, an arrangement that has obvious advantages for birds that spend much of their time on tree trunks. And most Piciformes do not have down feathers at any age, only true feathers. All nest in cavites. [abstracted from Wikipedia]



Woodpeckers and Allies

Order Piciformes    Suborder Pici    Family Picidae

The woodpeckers family members are found almost worldwide. Most species live in forests or woodland habitats, although a few species are known to live in treeless areas such as rocky hillsides and deserts. They range in size from 8-50cm. Many species exhibit patches of red and yellow on their heads and bellies, and these bright areas are important in signalling. Although the sexes of Picidae species tend to look alike, many have more prominent red or yellow head markings in males than in females.

Members of the family Picidae have strong bills for drilling and drumming on trees and long sticky tongues for extracting food. Species that use their bills in soil or for probing as opposed to regular hammering tend to have longer and more decurved bills. To prevent brain damage from the rapid and repeated decelerations, woodpeckers have evolved a number of adaptations to protect the brain. These include small brain size and the short duration of contact. The millisecond before contact with wood a thickened membrane closes, protecting the eye from flying debris. The nostrils are also protected; they are often slit-like and have special feathers to cover them. In addition to the strong claws and feet woodpeckers have short strong legs, this is typical of birds that regularly forage on trunks. The tails of most woodpeckers are stiffened, and when the bird perches on vertical surfaces, the tail and feet work together to support it. Picidae species can either be sedentary or migratory. [abstracted from Wikipedia]


Genus Campethera

Woodpecker, Golden-tailed  Campethera abingoni   Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1) Alastair Rae  2) Arno Meintjes


Woodpecker , Nubian  Campethera nubica  Found: Africa
Photographed by:  1) Brad Schram - Samburu National Reserve  



Genus Dendropicos

Woodpecker, Bearded  Dendropicos namaquus  Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1) Jerry Oldenettle   2) Carol Foil - Rift Valley, Kenya


Woodpecker, Cardinal  Dendropicos fuscescens  Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1) Alan Manson   2) Hans Hillewaert - near Lusaka, Zambia 
    3) Charlie Westerinen  4) Carol Foil - Buffalo Spring Reserve, Samburu District
1, 2, 3) Male



Genus Jynx

Wryneck, Eurasian   Jynx torquilla  Found: Europe, Asia, Africa
Photographed by: Martien Brand - Netherlands


Wryneck, Rufous-necked  aka  Red-throated Wryneck  Jynx ruficollis  Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1, 2) Carol Foil - Rift Valley, Kenya






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