Bennett's woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in woodlands and bushes in Africa. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a least-concern species.
Region
Southern and south-central Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs patchily from southern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola through Zambia to northern Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and into northeastern South Africa. Favors dry to semi-humid savanna woodlands, particularly miombo (Brachystegia) and mopane (Colophospermum) stands. Avoids dense forest and very open treeless plains. Often uses older trees for foraging and nesting, including along riparian corridors in otherwise dry landscapes.
Altitude Range
200–1700 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Bennett's woodpecker is a southern African woodpecker of open woodland, especially miombo and mopane. It specializes on ants and termites, using a long sticky tongue to probe bark crevices and the ground. Sexes differ: males show a red crown, while females have a darker, spotted crown. It is assessed as Least Concern and is typically shy but vocal with ringing, tinkling calls.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
undulating with short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Typically seen singly or in pairs, maintaining territories year-round. Pairs excavate a nest cavity in a dead or decaying tree, where 2–3 eggs are laid. Both sexes participate in incubation and feeding of the young. Outside breeding season, may loosely associate with mixed-species flocks while foraging.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives a ringing, tinkling series of notes that accelerate slightly, interspersed with sharp kik or tsik calls. Drumming is soft and infrequent compared to many temperate woodpeckers, with most communication via vocal calls.
Plumage
Olive-green to yellow-olive upperparts with pale spotting and fine barring; tail olive with darker bars. Underparts buff to pale with bold dark spots or arrowhead markings. Male shows a red crown and nape with a reddish malar stripe; female has a darker, spotted crown with a blackish malar streak. Face pale with fine spotting and a distinct pattern around the ear coverts.
Diet
Primarily eats ants and termites, gleaned from trunks, branches, and the ground. Also takes beetles and other small insect larvae when available. Uses a strong bill to flake bark and a long sticky tongue to extract prey from crevices and galleries.
Preferred Environment
Forages on mid-level trunks and larger branches as well as on fallen logs and the ground in open woodland. Frequently hunts along woodland edges, clearings, and around termite mounds.
