Stierling's woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is native to Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania where its natural habitat is tropical dry forests in the Eastern miombo woodlands ecoregion. It is threatened by habitat destruction. The bird is named in honour of the German bird collector N. Stierling.
Region
East Africa
Typical Environment
Found in southeastern Tanzania, northern and central Mozambique, and adjacent Malawi, primarily within the Eastern miombo woodlands. It favors dry Brachystegia–Julbernardia woodlands with scattered dead snags and mature trees. The species also uses woodland edges, riparian strips within dry forest mosaics, and occasionally wooded farmland where old trees persist. Local occurrence is patchy, closely tracking intact miombo and availability of decaying timber for foraging and nesting.
Altitude Range
200–1700 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Stierling's woodpecker is a miombo specialist named after the German collector N. Stierling. It spends much of its time on trunks and larger branches, probing for ants, termites, and wood-boring larvae. The species can be tricky to spot, relying on cryptic barring that blends into dry woodland bark, but its sharp calls and brief drumming rolls often reveal its presence.
Temperament
wary and unobtrusive
Flight Pattern
undulating with short rapid wingbeats and brief glides
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, sometimes joining mixed-species flocks in miombo. Pairs maintain territories and excavate nest cavities in dead or decaying trunks or large branches. Both sexes participate in excavation, incubation, and feeding of nestlings.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations include sharp, metallic 'pik' notes and thin chittering calls. Drumming is a short, soft roll given from exposed perches, often used for territorial advertisement and pair contact.
Plumage
Barred brown-and-cream upperparts with fine pale spotting and striping, and buffy underparts marked with dusky streaks. The mantle and back show tight barring that mimics miombo bark. The head is patterned with a pale supercilium and darker malar stripe; males show a small red crown or forecrown patch, females lack red on the crown.
Diet
Primarily feeds on insects, especially ants, termites, and beetle larvae extracted from dead wood and bark crevices. It probes, taps, and scales bark, and will glean from branches and stems. Occasional small fruits or seeds may be taken, but animal prey dominates the diet.
Preferred Environment
Forages on trunks and larger limbs of miombo trees, particularly where dead wood and snags are available. Frequently uses woodland edges, clearings with old stumps, and riparian strips within dry forest. May visit wooded farmlands and village trees if mature or decaying timber is present.
