The little green woodpecker, or golden-backed woodpecker, is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in Africa, living in forest edges, clearings, and forest-shrub mosaics. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a least-concern species.
Region
Upper Guinea, West Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs from forested West African countries in the Upper Guinea zone, inhabiting lowland moist forests, forest edges, secondary growth, gallery forests, and farm–bush mosaics. It favors semi-open woodland and clearings where large trees remain for foraging and nesting. The species adapts to selectively logged areas and plantations with scattered mature trees. It is typically local but can be fairly common where habitat persists.
Altitude Range
0–1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The Little green woodpecker is a small African woodpecker of forest edges and secondary growth in the Upper Guinea region. It forages quietly on trunks and branches, often probing for ants and beetle larvae rather than heavy chiseling. Both sexes excavate nest cavities in soft or decaying wood, and the male shows brighter head markings. Its population is assessed as Least Concern, though it can be sensitive to extensive forest loss.
Temperament
shy and wary
Flight Pattern
undulating flight with short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly, in pairs, or small family groups, and it sometimes joins mixed-species flocks in the canopy. Pairs maintain small territories and excavate their own nest cavities in soft or decaying wood. Both parents incubate and feed the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations include soft, piping notes and thin, repeated calls, often given from mid-canopy perches. Drumming is light and brief compared with larger woodpeckers, used mainly in territorial signaling.
Plumage
Olive-green to golden-olive upperparts with a bright golden sheen on the back; wings and tail subtly barred. Underparts pale buff to whitish with fine dark spotting and streaking. Male typically shows red on the crown and a spotted malar stripe; female lacks or reduces red, with more streaked head sides.
Diet
Primarily feeds on ants, termites, and beetle larvae, gleaned from bark surfaces and probed from crevices. It also hawks small insects from foliage and occasionally takes other arthropods. Fruit may be taken opportunistically but forms a minor part of the diet. Foraging is methodical and quiet, with more probing than heavy chiseling.
Preferred Environment
Forages on trunks, branches, and deadwood in forest edges, secondary growth, and wooded farmland. Often uses mid-story to canopy levels and will exploit vine tangles and fallen logs.
