African Piculet

The African piculet (Verreauxia africana), sometimes placed in the genus Sasia, is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Verreauxia. It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, and Uganda. This species is described as locally common and has a very large range, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern". == Taxonomy == The African piculet was formally described in 1855 by the French naturalists Jules and Édouard Verreaux from a specimen collected in Gabon, West Africa. They placed it in the genus Sasia and coined the binomial name Sasia africana. The African piculet is now the only species placed in the genus Verreauxia that was introduced in 1856 by the German ornithologist Gustav Hartlaub. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. == Description == The African piculet is a small bird some 9 to 10 cm (3.5 to 3.9 in) long. The male has a chestnut or reddish forehead and a greyish-green or olive-green crown whereas the forehead in the…