NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Cardinal Woodpecker
Dendropicos fuscescens (Vieillot, 1818)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The cardinal woodpecker (Dendropicos fuscescens) is a widespread and common resident breeder in much of sub-Saharan Africa. It occurs in a wide range of habitats, ranging from dense forest to thorn bush. It is fairly vocal and is easily identified by its call notes. The sexes are distinguishable by their head patterns. They feed primarily on tree-boring insects; using their adhering tongues they extract the insects from holes in wood or bark.
Wikipedia contributors, Cardinal woodpecker; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:37:10.554554+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Dendropicos fuscescens (Vieillot, 1818)
- Name authority
- (Vieillot, 1818)
- Common name
- Cardinal Woodpecker
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Picidae
- Genus
- Dendropicos
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPiciformes
- familyPicidae
- subfamilyPicinae
- genusDendropicos Malherbe, 1849
- speciesDendropicos fuscescens (Vieillot, 1818)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Dendropicos. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Elliot's WoodpeckerDendropicos elliotii (Cassin, 1863) | PicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| African Grey WoodpeckerDendropicos goertae (P. L. S. Müller, 1776) | PicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Brown-backed WoodpeckerDendropicos obsoletus (Wagler, 1829) | PicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Speckle-breasted WoodpeckerDendropicos poecilolaemus Reichenow, 1893 | PicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Stierling's WoodpeckerDendropicos stierlingi Reichenow, 1901 | PicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Eastern Grey WoodpeckerDendropicos spodocephalus (Bonaparte, 1850) | PicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Abyssinian WoodpeckerDendropicos abyssinicus (Stanley, 1814) | PicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Little Grey WoodpeckerDendropicos elachus Oberholser, 1919 | PicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Gabon WoodpeckerDendropicos gabonensis (J. Verreaux & E. Verreaux, 1851) | PicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Olive WoodpeckerDendropicos griseocephalus (Boddaert, 1783) | PicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=554012 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:34S26. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.