Ground Woodpecker (Geocolaptes olivaceus)
About the Ground Woodpecker
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. It is closely related to the woodpeckers of the genus Campethera, some of which also employ terrestrial foraging strategies.
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We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 10 recordings for this species: 5 CC BY-NC-SA · 5 CC BY-NC-ND. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
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Listed as recorded in South Africa in the xeno-canto catalogue.