The bearded woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It has a distinctive black and white head and brownish barred body. It is native to tropical central Africa. It has an extremely wide range and is a fairly common species, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern". Some taxonomic authorities place this species in Dendropicos.
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa
Typical Environment
Occupies a wide range of wooded habitats including dry savannas, miombo and mopane woodland, and Acacia-dominated thornveld. It frequents riparian woodland, forest edges, and degraded or secondary growth with large trees. The species avoids dense lowland rainforest and treeless deserts. It adapts locally to parks and large gardens where mature or dead trees are available for foraging and nesting.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A large African woodpecker, it has a bold black-and-white head pattern and a brown, heavily barred body. The name refers to a dark 'beard'—a strong malar stripe—that gives the face a whiskered look. Males show a red crown/nape patch, which females lack. Some authorities place it in the genus Dendropicos, but Chloropicus is widely used.
Male in Tanzania
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
undulating with short, stiff wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually encountered singly or in pairs, maintaining territories year-round. Pairs excavate nest cavities in dead or decaying wood and may reuse or enlarge holes. They are primarily monogamous and both sexes participate in incubation and feeding of young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations include sharp kweek or kik notes and harsher rattles. Drumming is loud and deliberate, used for communication and territory advertisement.
Plumage
Brown to olive-brown upperparts and underparts densely barred or vermiculated; clean black-and-white head with strong facial striping.
Diet
Feeds mainly on wood-boring beetle larvae, ants, termites, and other insects gleaned or excavated from trunks and branches. It probes bark crevices and hammers into dead wood to reach larvae. Occasional fruit or sap may be taken opportunistically, especially when insect prey is scarce.
Preferred Environment
Forages on large trees in open woodland and savanna, especially where dead limbs or snags are present. Also works fallen logs and stumps and may visit wooded edges and riverine corridors.
