Current view: Data table and detailed info
Taxonomic note
Previously listed (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) as Campethera nivosa; an earlier molecular study showed that Buff-spotted Woodpecker C. nivosa and Brown-eared Woodpecker C. caroli are distinct from congeners, and revived the name Stictopicus to accommodate them. However, Dowsett and Gregory (2020) point out that the type species of Stictopicus is Nubian Woodpecker Picus nubicus (as it was first described) so the name cannot be used, and proposed instead that Pardipicus can be used. Race maxima, known only from two specimens from N Ivory Coast, doubtfully valid, possibly only a larger form of nominate. Latter intergrades with subspecies herberti, the resultant intermediates formerly known as subspecies efulenensis; yalensis (W Kenya) synonymized with herberti. Four subspecies recognized.
Taxonomic source(s)
Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International. 2022. Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 7. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v7_Dec22.zip.
IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Red List history
| Migratory status |
not a migrant |
Forest dependency |
medium |
| Land-mass type |
|
Average mass |
38 g |
Population justification: The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is reported to be common to not uncommon in most of its range (del Hoyo et al. 2002). This species is considered to have a medium dependency on forest habitat, and tree cover is estimated to have declined by 9.4% within its mapped range over the past 10 years (Global Forest Watch 2022, using Hansen et al. [2013] data and methods disclosed therein). Therefore, as a precautionary measure, it is tentatively suspected that this loss of cover may have led to a decline of between 1-19% in the species' population size over the same time frame.
Trend justification: .
Country/territory distribution
Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Buff-spotted Woodpecker Pardipicus nivosus. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/buff-spotted-woodpecker-pardipicus-nivosus on 22/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 22/11/2024.
