The Abyssinian woodpecker, also known as the golden-backed woodpecker or the golden-mantled woodpecker, is a species of bird in the woodpecker family, Picidae. It is native to Africa, where it occurs in Eritrea and Ethiopia. It appears to be a close relative of the cardinal woodpecker Dendropicos fuscescens.
Region
Horn of Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs primarily in the Ethiopian and Eritrean highlands, using Afromontane juniper–olive forests, Hagenia woodlands, and forest edges. It also frequents wooded valleys, groves, and agroforestry landscapes such as coffee and eucalyptus plantations. Birds are commonly found along forest margins, in scattered trees in farmland, and in riverine strips. They forage from lower trunks to mid-canopies and will use dead wood when available for both feeding and nesting.
Altitude Range
1600–3500 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Endemic to the Ethiopian (Abyssinian) Highlands of Ethiopia and Eritrea, this small woodpecker favors Afromontane forests and adjacent farmlands. It helps control wood-boring insects and often feeds quietly on trunks and larger branches, making it easy to overlook. Males show a small red crown patch, while females lack red on the crown. It is closely related to the cardinal woodpecker but shows a warmer, golden mantle and more heavily streaked underparts.
Temperament
shy and unobtrusive
Flight Pattern
undulating flight with bounding between wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly, in pairs, or small family groups, often maintaining territories year-round. Monogamous pairs excavate nest cavities in dead or soft-wooded trunks or large branches. Both sexes participate in excavation and incubation, and they favor sites near forest edges or within scattered trees in farmland.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations include sharp pik or chik notes and a soft, rapid rattle. Drumming is short and subdued compared with larger woodpeckers but used for territorial signaling.
Plumage
Warm golden to golden-olive mantle and back with darker wings showing fine barring; underparts buff to whitish with dark streaking. Head is gray-brown with subtle facial striping; males have a small red crown or hindcrown patch, females lack red. Tail is dark with pale barring; overall appearance is earthy with a striking golden mantle.
Diet
Primarily feeds on ants, beetles, and wood-boring larvae gleaned from bark, crevices, and dead wood. It probes and pecks methodically rather than hammering continuously, often concentrating on exposed trunks and larger limbs. Occasional small fruits or berries may be taken, especially when insect prey is scarce.
Preferred Environment
Forages on trunks and thicker branches in montane forests, woodland edges, and scattered trees in agricultural landscapes. Frequently uses dead snags and partially decayed branches where larvae are abundant.
