Cuban green woodpecker

The Cuban green woodpecker (Xiphidiopicus percussus) is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is the only species within the genus Xiphidiopicus[2] and is endemic to Cuba.

Cuban green woodpecker
Male (X. p. percussus)
Female (X. p. percussus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Genus: Xiphidiopicus
Bonaparte, 1854
Species:
X. percussus
Binomial name
Xiphidiopicus percussus
(Temminck, 1826)

Description

A distinctive, relatively small woodpecker of the general size and shape of a sapsucker, the Cuban green woodpecker occasionally appears crested, with bright olive-green overparts and yellow underparts. The nape and upper breast are bright red, with some black bases to feathers usually visible, with a black chin and throat; the crown is red in males and black with white stripes in females. The species has a white face and supercilium, punctuated by a black border to the cheek. The yellow breast is streaked with black or greenish-black, with the flanks yellow barred with black. The crissum (the area around the cloaca) is yellow with black barring. Females are significantly smaller than the male and generally shorter-billed. Juveniles are generally duller in plumage, showing more barring and streaking below. It typically measures 21 to 25 cm (8.3 to 9.8 in) in length and weighs 48 to 97 g (1.7 to 3.4 oz).[3]

  • Juvenile (X. p. percussus)
  • Excavating a nest from an arboreal termite nest

Subspecies

The species is divided into the following subspecies:

  • X. p. cocoensis
  • X. p. gloriae
  • X. p. insulaepinorum
  • X. p. marthae
  • X. p. monticola
  • X. p. percussus

Habitat

Its natural habitats are dry forests, lowland moist forests, and heavily degraded former forest.

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Xiphidiopicus percussus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. "ITIS Report: Xiphidiopicus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  3. Farnsworth, Andrew (2012). Schulenberg, T.S. (ed.). "Cuban Green Woodpecker (Xiphidiopicus percussus)". Neotropical Birds Online. Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 11 October 2011.


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