Campethera is a genus of bird in the family Picidae, or woodpeckers, that are native to sub-Saharan Africa. Most species are native to woodland and savanna rather than deep forest, and multiple species exhibit either arboreal or terrestrial foraging strategies. Its nearest relative is the monotypic genus Geocolaptes of southern Africa, which employs terrestrial foraging and breeding strategies. They are however not close relatives of similar-looking woodpeckers in the "Dendropicos clade".
The genus Campethera was introduced by the English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1841 with the little green woodpecker (Campethera maculosa) as the type species.[1] The generic name combines the Ancient Greek kampē meaning "caterpillar" and -thēras meaning "hunter".[2]
Species diversity in the "Campethera clade" is believed to be understated, and up to 18 species may be involved.[3] The following 11 species are currently recognized:[4]
| Image | Common Name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campethera punctuligera | Sudan (region) and adjacent areas | ||
| Campethera bennettii | miombo and adjacent areas | ||
| Campethera scriptoricauda | Mozambique, Malawi, and Tanzania | ||
| Campethera nubica | from Chad in west to Somalia in east and Tanzania in south | ||
| Campethera abingoni | Angola, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Eswatini, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe | ||
| Campethera mombassica | Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania | ||
| Campethera notata | South Africa | ||
| Campethera cailliautii | Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe | ||
| Campethera maculosa | Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Ghana | ||
| Campethera tullbergi | Western High Plateau and Bioko | ||
| Campethera taeniolaema | eastern Congo to Kenya and Tanzania | ||
They are small to medium-sized woodpeckers.[5] The sexes are fairly similar, but males of most species have the crown and nape bright red, while in females this is restricted to the nape. Colour of the malar plumage is also useful in sexing.
Their plumage pattern is fairly uniform, and some species are only distinguishable by careful observation.[5] The mantle, back and wings are olive-greenish, and usually spotted or barred in buffy to golden yellow. The shafts of the remiges and rectrices are yellow to golden yellow.[5] The underpart plumage is spotted black to a lesser or greater degree.
Some species include drumming on dead wood as a means of non-vocal signaling. Most species are poor drummers however, and some species may not drum at all.[5]
Their rectrices are only partially stiffened (for arboreal support), and they readily take to terrestrial foraging. Ants and termites form important components of their diet. These are lapped up with a flexible and sticky tongue.[5]