Campethera maculosa (Valenciennes, 1826)

Common and Scientific Name

This species, commonly known as the little green woodpecker, has a scientific name of Campethera maculosa (Valenciennes, 1826).

Adult Size

Adults measure approximately 16 cm (6.3 in) in length and weigh around 54 g (1.9 oz).

Male Head and Neck Coloration

For males, the crown is olive-blackish with faint reddish coloration, and the nape is solid red. The head, neck, and throat are buff and marked with brown spots.

Male Upperpart Coloration

The upperparts are yellowish-green or bronze-green. Flight feathers are brown with buffish bars.

Male Tail and Underpart Coloration

The tail is blackish, with patches of yellow and green. Underparts are buffish from the throat to the breast, and greenish-white below the breast; all underparts are marked with deep olive bars.

Male Soft Part Coloration

The beak is olive or blackish, the iris is brown, and the legs are olive-grey.

Female Plumage Differences

Females lack any red on the head, and have buff spots on the crown and nape.

Juvenile Plumage Differences

Juvenile little green woodpeckers have greener upperparts with pale streaks, and paler underparts than adults.

Distribution Range

The little green woodpecker has a wide distribution across tropical Africa.

Habitat and Elevation

It inhabits the edges of primary and secondary forests, forest clearings, and mixed forest-shrub mosaics, occurring at elevations up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft).