| Ground woodpecker | |
|---|---|
| |
| In South Africa | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Piciformes |
| Family: | Picidae |
| Genus: | Geocolaptes Swainson, 1832 |
| Species: | G. olivaceus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Geocolaptes olivaceus (Gmelin, 1788)
| |
The ground woodpecker (Geocolaptes olivaceus) is one of only three ground-dwelling woodpeckers in the world (the others are the Andean and campo flickers). It inhabits rather barren, steep, boulder-strewn slopes in relatively cool hilly and mountainous areas of South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini and has yet to be recorded outside of Southern Africa. It is found in a broad swath running from southwest to northeast, from the Cape Peninsula and Namaqualand to Mpumalanga.[1] It is closely related to the woodpeckers of the genus Campethera, some of which also employ terrestrial foraging strategies.[2]
- ^ a b BirdLife International (2017). "Geocolaptes olivaceus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T22680945A118945926. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22680945A118945926.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Fuchs, Jérôme; Pons, Jean-Marc; Bowie, Rauri C.K. (March 2017). "Biogeography and diversification dynamics of the African woodpeckers". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 108: 88–100. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2017.01.007. PMID 28089840.