African Piculet Verreauxia africana Scientific name definitions

9–10 cm; 7–10·5 g (1 Fjeldså, J. and Jensen, H. (1990). A record of the African Piculet Sasia africana from Liberia. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. 110(2): 62-64. Close ). The only African piculet ; appearance might initially recall a crombec (Sylvietta) (2 Borrow, N., and R. Demey (2001). Birds of Western Africa. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Male has chestnut to rufous forehead, olive-green to greyish-olive crown to hindneck; blackish lores, thin blackish stripe behind eye bordered above by short white line; rest of head rather dark grey, often streaked darker on ear-coverts, which have white crescent at lower rear border; entire upperparts dark green, tinged yellow, uppertail-coverts duller; wing-coverts, secondaries and tertials sometimes slightly darker, but with brighter yellow fringes; brownish-black primaries with whitish on inner webs, narrowly edged and tipped yellow on outer webs; extremely short tail with eight (not ten) brownish-black feathers edged olive-greenish; chin and throat dark olive-grey, rest of underparts darkish grey with slight to strong olive tinge, belly often paler; underwing mostly whitish; bill short, culmen curved, black with paler lower mandible; iris red, orbital skin light red to pale purple-red or pinkish-purple; legs reddish to purple-red. Female slightly longer-winged, lacks chestnut on forehead . Juvenile has rufous feather tips on head, especially ear-coverts, and on throat, belly and flanks, grey and buffy tones admixed in mantle and back, brown iris.

S Cameroon and SW Central African Republic E to SW Uganda (Bwamba Forest), S to NW Angola (S to Cuanza Norte, N Lunda Norte) and SC & SW DRCongo; a few isolated records in recent decades from Liberia, Ivory Coast and Ghana indicate existence of small population in forests of Upper Guinea (3 Borrow, N., and R. Demey (2001). Birds of Western Africa. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close , 4 Borrow, N. and Demey, R. (2004). Birds of Western Africa. Christopher Helm, London. Close , 5 Fjeldså, J. and Jensen, H. (1990). A record of the African Piculet Sasia africana from Liberia. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 110(2): 62–64. Close ).

Inhabits humid forest , mainly in ecotone between primary and secondary growth, also gallery forest and, in Uganda, recorded once in regenerating mixed forest dominated by Elaeis oil palms (6 Carswell, M., D. Pomeroy, J. Reynolds, and H. Tushabe (2005). The Bird Atlas of Uganda. British Ornithologists’ Club and British Ornithologists' Union, Oxford, UK. Close ); prefers old second growth to open primary forest. Occurs from lowlands to c. 700 m, locally up to c. 1100 m (7 Kizungu, R. B. (2006). Altitudinal distribution of birds in Mukowa primary forest, Irangi area, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Malimbus 28(1):1–6. Close ).

Essentially resident. Several records from Upper Guinea, including two from Liberia, three from Ivory Coast (8 Lachenaud, O. (2006). Les oiseaux du Parc National du Banco et de la Forêt Classée de l’Anguédédou, Côte d’Ivoire. Malimbus 28(2):107–133. Close ), two from Ghana, and at least one from Nigeria (9 Dowset, R.J. (2015). Comments on the ornithology of Nigeria, including amendments to the national list. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 135(2): 154–173. Close ), have been suggested as pointing to abnormal long-distance dispersal, but much more likely to refer to small, sparse populations.

Principal food made up of wood-boring beetle larvae; also consumes adult beetles and other insects, but appears not to take ants. Commonly encountered in pairs or trios; occasionally joins mixed-species flocks. Forages mainly in lower storeys; constantly on the move, hops and flies rapidly through dense vegetation. Forages in bushes, also clings to stems of larger herbaceous plants and grass. Hammers vigorously into the substrate, splitting it open to get at prey.

Weak high trill  , “ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti” or piercing, sunbird-like “see-see-see-see-see” (10 Demey, R., and L. D. C. Fishpool (1994). The birds of Yapo Forest, Ivory Coast. Malimbus 16(2):100–122. Close ), which is also considered reminiscent of an insect or bat (2 Borrow, N., and R. Demey (2001). Birds of Western Africa. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); also a soft but relatively loud (2 Borrow, N., and R. Demey (2001). Birds of Western Africa. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), rapid tapping (10 Demey, R., and L. D. C. Fishpool (1994). The birds of Yapo Forest, Ivory Coast. Malimbus 16(2):100–122. Close ).

Laying dates span Jun–Feb; juvenile collected in Mar in Angola. Nest excavated 1–5 m above ground in narrow branch, entrance 2 cm across, cavity dimensions c. 4 × 5 cm. Clutch usually two eggs, white, 13–17·4 mm × 11·2–12·1 mm, 1·08 g (11 Fry, C. H., S. Keith, and E. K. Urban, Editors (1988). The Birds of Africa. Volume 3. Parrots to Woodpeckers. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ); both parents incubate eggs and tend brood, periods unknown.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Locally common, e.g. in parts of Gabon; common in Bwamba Forest in Uganda; not uncommon in Angola. Occurs at Mount Kupé and in Korup National Park in Cameroon. Although this species has been considered generally uncommon, its habits make it likely to be overlooked; in much of range, it seems to be reasonably common in secondary forest. No immediate threats known.