Photo: Alan Manson / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Cardinal Woodpecker
Dendropicos fuscescens
Cardinal Woodpecker (Dendropicos fuscescens) — Woodpeckers & Toucans of Africa.
Found across 5 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Cardinal Woodpecker (Dendropicos fuscescens) is a member of the Picidae family found in Africa. Adults weigh 26 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Piciformes
- Family Picidae Woodpeckers
- Genus Dendropicos
- Species fuscescens
Quick facts
- Weight
- 26 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Picidae
- Order
- Piciformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Endangered
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Cardinal Woodpecker is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open scrub and shrubland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Cardinal Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Cardinal Woodpecker (Dendropicos fuscescens) belongs to the Picidae family of the order Piciformes. It is found across Africa. Its distribution covers AF widespread.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 26 g, with a wing length of about 9.2 cm and a tail of around 4.8 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 12.7 million km² — a very large global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Cardinal Woodpecker?
The Cardinal Woodpecker is a small bird that weighs around 26 g.
Where does the Cardinal Woodpecker live?
The Cardinal Woodpecker is found across Africa with a range covering AF widespread, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Cardinal Woodpecker belong to?
The Cardinal Woodpecker (Dendropicos fuscescens) belongs to the Picidae family, in the order Piciformes.
What does the Cardinal Woodpecker eat?
The Cardinal Woodpecker is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Cardinal Woodpecker migrate?
The Cardinal Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Cardinal Woodpecker endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Cardinal Woodpecker make?
1 real field recording of the Cardinal Woodpecker — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Cardinal Woodpecker's range?
The Cardinal Woodpecker has a mapped global range of about 12.7 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
Best Suet Feeders for Woodpeckers
How to choose a suet feeder for woodpeckers — the styles compared, why a tail prop helps, and how to keep starlings off. A decision framework with the woodpecker species in the Birbs encyclopedia.
Meet the Picidae
A field guide to the Picidae family — 239 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.