The speckle-breasted woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae, which is native to sub-Saharan Africa.
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa
Typical Environment
Most frequently found in broad-leaved woodlands, including miombo and mixed savanna woodland, as well as forest edges and riparian groves. It favors areas with mature trees that offer deadwood and bark crevices for foraging. The species also uses scattered trees in wooded grasslands and agricultural mosaics with remnant woodland. It typically keeps to trunks and larger limbs, moving methodically as it feeds.
Altitude Range
600–2000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A small African woodpecker, the speckle-breasted woodpecker specializes in probing and hammering for insects in woodland and savanna. Males typically show a red crown, while females have a darker, spotted crown, making sexing possible in the field. Its undulating flight and rapid drumming reveal its presence even when it stays concealed on trunks and larger branches.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
undulating with rapid wingbeats between short glides
Social Behavior
Often seen singly or in pairs, maintaining territories year-round. Pairs excavate nest cavities in dead or decaying wood, where 2–3 eggs are laid. Both sexes typically share incubation and chick-rearing duties.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives sharp, high-pitched kik or tchik notes in short series, especially during territory defense. Also produces brief, rapid drumming bursts on resonant wood to advertise presence.
Plumage
Upperparts barred or mottled brown and olive with pale streaking; underparts whitish to buff with fine dark speckling on the breast and flanks. Crown pattern differs by sex, and the face shows pale streaks with darker edging. Tail is stiff and barred, adapted for bracing against trunks.
Diet
Feeds primarily on ants, termites, beetles, and their larvae, extracted from bark crevices and soft wood. It probes and taps methodically, using its chisel bill to flake bark and its sticky tongue to retrieve prey. Occasionally takes other small invertebrates and may sample fruit or sap opportunistically.
Preferred Environment
Forages on trunks and larger branches of mature trees in woodland and savanna. Frequently uses edges, clearings, and areas with deadwood where insect activity is concentrated.
