The Knysna Woodpecker is closely related to the Golden-tailed Woodpecker and is very similar to that species in appearance. The underparts though are heavily blotched, not streaked, and the upperbody is only lightly spotted. Particular care must be taken relevant to juvenile Golden-tailed Woodpeckers, which have spotted underparts. Apparently out-of-range records of Knysna Woodpeckers in southern KwaZulu-Natal are typically misidentified juvenile Golden-tailed Woodpeckers.

The Knysna Woodpecker is endemic to South Africa and has a fairly restricted distribution largely along the coastal plain from close to Hermanus in the Western Cape to Oribi Gorge in southern KwaZulu-Natal. In the latter region its range meets but apparently does not overlap with that of the Golden-tailed Woodpecker. The majority of the range is in the Eastern Cape where the species is most abundant and where it extends inland almost as much as 200 km in places, for example approaching both Graaff-Reinet and Queenstown. There is some evidence that it once occurred further north along the KwaZulu-Natal coast, with records from Ifafa and Illovo, but has retreated in the face of habitat destruction largely associated with sugar-cane farming.

The call of this woodpecker is very similar to that of the Golden-tailed Woodpecker but is higher pitched. Its habitat choice is also similar, extending from true forest to more open woodland and thicket. Like many other woodpeckers, it frequently joins avian multi-species foraging ‘parties’.

Bird illustrations are from Sasol Birds of Southern Africa published by Struik Nature. Illustrations © by Norman Arlott are used with kind permission of the Arlott family.
www.struiknature.co.za