Bird Album
Melancholy Woodpecker
Dendropicos lugubris Hartlaub, 1857
17–18 cmLength26 gWeight
The melancholy woodpecker (Dendropicos lugubris) is a species of woodpecker.
Busiest months: November · Most records: Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: November · Most records: Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone
Melancholy Woodpecker has been recorded at 31 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 5 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Atewa Range – upland forest & ridgeGhana118 records
- Antwikwaa – forest edge & farm scrubGhana109 records
- Kakum NP – CanopyGhana104 records
More places
- Kakum National ParkGhana85 records
- Kakum NP – Canopy Walkway & vicinityGhana71 records
- Bobiri Butterfly SanctuaryGhana60 records
- Ankasa NPGhana52 records
- Ebekawopa (Abrafo) – 'farm scrub' habitatGhana43 records
- Atewa – farm scrub and degraded forestGhana41 records
- Ebekawopa (Abrafo) Forest ReserveGhana38 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The melancholy woodpecker (Dendropicos lugubris) is a species of woodpecker. It is found in West Africa from Sierra Leone east to Nigeria, living in forests, forest edges, clearings and woodlands. It is sometimes considered to be a subspecies of the Gabon woodpecker.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Melancholy Woodpecker?
The Melancholy Woodpecker is about 17–18 cm long and weighs around 26 g.
Where does the Melancholy Woodpecker live?
Its breeding range: Africa: Sierra Leone to southwestern Nigeria. It is most often recorded in Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone.
When is the best time to see the Melancholy Woodpecker?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Melancholy Woodpecker endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Melancholy Woodpecker as Least Concern.
What does the Melancholy Woodpecker eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Melancholy Woodpecker in?
It belongs to the family Woodpeckers (Picidae), order Piciformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 17–18 cm
- Weight
- 26 g
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 86 mm
- Tail
- 43 mm
- Bill
- 18 mm
- Tarsus
- 16 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: Sierra Leone to southwestern Nigeria
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Woodpeckers Picidae
- Genus
- Dendropicos
Other birds in the genus Dendropicos
Little Grey WoodpeckerDendropicos elachus
Speckle-breasted WoodpeckerDendropicos poecilolaemus
Abyssinian WoodpeckerDendropicos abyssinicus
Cardinal WoodpeckerDendropicos fuscescens
Gabon WoodpeckerDendropicos gabonensis
Stierling's WoodpeckerDendropicos stierlingi
Elliot's WoodpeckerDendropicos elliotii
African Grey WoodpeckerDendropicos goertae
Eastern Grey WoodpeckerDendropicos spodocephalus
Olive WoodpeckerDendropicos griseocephalus
Brown-backed WoodpeckerDendropicos obsoletus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by wimvz. ↗
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