Fine-spotted woodpecker – Campethera punctuligera

The spotted Woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family .

It lives in Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia , Guinea , Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast , Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso , Ghana, Togo, Benin , Nigeria, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo , Central African Republic , Chad and Sudan.

Like other woodpeckers, this species has a straight pointed beak, a stiff tail to provide support against tree trunks and zygodactyl or “yoked” feet, with two toes pointing forward and two backward. The long tongue can be darted forward to capture insects.

This bird is 22 cm in length. It is a typical woodpecker shape and has green upperparts marked with fine pale spots, except on the rump and tail, which have pale bars instead. The underparts are yellowish with fine dark flank spots. The head is whitish with greyer cheeks and chin, again with tiny dark spots.

The adult male fine-spotted woodpecker has a red crown and moustachial stripes. Females have a dark forecrown, with red on the rear half. They lack the red moustaches. Young birds are like the female, but the green of the plumage is darker.

It is a species associated with open forest and bush. It nests in a tree hole, often in an oil palm, laying two or three white eggs.

Like other woodpeckers, this species is insectivorous. It is a specialist termite feeder, and is frequently seen near termite mounds.

The call of this vocal species is a loud wik-wik-wee-wee-yuu.