LC
Melancholy Woodpecker Dendropicos lugubris



Taxonomy

Taxonomic note
Dendropicos gabonensis and D. lugubris (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) were previously lumped as D. gabonensis following Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993). Prior to that they had been split following Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993).

Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
del Hoyo, J.; Collar, N. J.; Christie, D. A.; Elliott, A.; Fishpool, L. D. C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- - -

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2016 Least Concern
2014 Least Concern
2012 Not Recognised
2008 Not Recognised
2004 Not Recognised
2000 Not Recognised
1994 Not Recognised
1988 Lower Risk/Least Concern
Species attributes

Migratory status not a migrant Forest dependency medium
Land-mass type Average mass -
Range

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 1,000,000 km2 medium
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size unknown - - -
Population trend stable - suspected -
Generation length 4.2 years - - -

Population justification: The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is described as rather uncommon, although common in Sierra Leone and locally not uncommon to common in Liberia, where estimated 50,000 pairs (del Hoyo et al. 2002).

Trend justification: The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
Cameroon extant native yes
Côte d'Ivoire extant native yes
Ghana extant native yes
Guinea extant native yes
Guinea-Bissau extant native yes
Liberia extant native yes
Nigeria extant native yes
Sierra Leone extant native yes
Togo extant native yes

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name
Côte d'Ivoire Bossematie Forest Reserve
Côte d'Ivoire Gueoule and Glo Mountain Forest Reserves
Côte d'Ivoire Lamto Ecological Research Station
Côte d'Ivoire Marahoue National Park
Côte d'Ivoire Mopri Forest Reserve
Côte d'Ivoire Parc National de Taï et Réserve de faune du N'Zo
Côte d'Ivoire Peko Mountain National Park
Côte d'Ivoire Yapo and Mambo Forest Reserves
Ghana Ankasa Resource Reserve - Nini-Sushien National Park
Ghana Bia National Park and Resource Reserve
Ghana Boin River Forest Reserve
Ghana Boin Tano Forest Reserve
Ghana Bura River Forest Reserve
Ghana Cape Three Points Forest Reserve
Ghana Dadieso Forest Reserve
Ghana Draw River Forest Reserve
Ghana Ebi River Shelterbelt Forest Reserve
Ghana Fure River Forest Reserve
Ghana Jema-Asemkrom Forest Reserve
Ghana Kyabobo National Park
Ghana Subri River Forest Reserve
Ghana Tano-Nimiri Forest Reserve
Ghana Yoyo River Forest Reserve
Guinea Massif du Ziama
Guinea Monts Nimba (part of Mount Nimba transboundary AZE)
Guinea-Bissau Lagoas de Cufada
Liberia Cestos - Senkwen
Liberia Lake Piso (Cape Mount)
Liberia Nimba mountains
Liberia Wologizi mountains
Liberia Wonegizi mountains
Liberia Zwedru
Nigeria IITA Forest Reserve, Ibadan
Sierra Leone Gola Forests
Sierra Leone Western Area Peninsula Forest National Park
Togo Misahöhe Forest Reserve

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Artificial/Terrestrial Arable Land suitable resident
Artificial/Terrestrial Plantations suitable resident
Artificial/Terrestrial Rural Gardens suitable resident
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland major resident
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane marginal resident
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Swamp suitable resident
Savanna Dry suitable resident
Altitude 0 - 1400 m Occasional altitudinal limits  

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Melancholy Woodpecker Dendropicos lugubris. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/melancholy-woodpecker-dendropicos-lugubris on 23/11/2024.
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 23/11/2024.