Black-headed woodpecker

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Black-headed woodpecker
Female
Male

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Genus: Picus
Species:
P. erythropygius
Binomial name
Picus erythropygius
(Elliot, 1865)

The black-headed woodpecker (Picus erythropygius) is a species of

Picidae. It typically inhabits deciduous and coniferous forests and is found in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam
.

Description

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Picus erythropygius.
Female and male black-headed woodpeckers

The black-headed woodpecker is a medium-sized bird at around 33 cm tall and 100-135g.[2] Adult birds have very distinct plumage and have a black face, yellow throat, green wings, a red lower back, and a white stomach.[3] They also have white/yellow eyes and some individuals have a thin white line from their eye to their neck.[2] Males have a red crown, while females have a completely black crown with no red.[2] Juveniles are less pigmented than adults and juvenile males have fewer red crown feathers on their heads.[2]

Taxonomy

The black-headed woodpecker is a member of the woodpecker family Picidae and the genus Picus. They have been considered to be most closely related to the European green woodpecker (P. viridis) and the grey-headed woodpecker (P. canus).[4] However, recent studies have challenged this original phylogenetic relationship.[5]

Subspecies

There are two recognized subspecies of the black-headed woodpecker:[6]

  • Picus erythropygius nigrigenis (Hume, 1874) – Myanmar and Northwest-West Thailand.[2] This subspecies is more commonly found and can be identified by its black bill.[2]
  • Picus erythropygius erythropygius (Elliot, 1865) – Northeast Thailand and Indochina.[2] This subspecies has a white bill, as opposed to a black one.[7]

Distribution and habitat

Black-headed woodpeckers are found in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.[1] They are most commonly found in the mid-story and sub-canopy of deciduous and coniferous forests.[3][8] They usually prefer dry dipterocarp forests, semi-evergreen forests, riverine forests, and savanna forests.[9][8][10] They are also resident birds.[2]

Behaviour and ecology

Diet

Black-headed woodpecker on a tree

Black-headed woodpeckers, like most woodpeckers, are insectivorous and glean insects on the bark of trees.[11] They most commonly consume termites, but they also eat ants and other insects and invertebrates.[2][11]

Vocalization

Their song is a loud series of yelps that sound similar to laughing.[3] These yelps ("ka-tek-a-tek-a-tek-a-tek" or "cha-cha-cha, cha-cha-cha") are rapidly repeated and the first note is emphasized.[2]

Reproduction

Little is known about their reproduction, but they reproduce between February–June and nest within trees.[2] They also have around 3-4 eggs.[2] In a wildlife sanctuary in Chiang Mai, their nests were occupied in May.[12]

Flocks

Black-headed woodpeckers are usually found in groups with other bird species.[2] These bird waves consist of larger flock sizes, which allow birds to worry less about predators and spend more time foraging.[13] Black-headed woodpeckers are typically found in flocks with white-crested laughingthrushes (Garrulax leucolophus), lesser necklaced laughingthrushes (Garrulax monileger), and greater racket-tailed drongos (Dicrurus paradiseus).[9][13] In these flocks, black-headed woodpeckers, along with the other birds, produce alarm calls when predators approach.[11]

Parasites

The black-headed woodpecker is vulnerable to many parasites, including avian haemoproteid parasite, Haemoproteus bennetti, which has been detected in its blood.[14] They are also susceptible to Picidae-specific parasites, including chewing lice, Picicola roberti, and quill mites, Picobia heeri, which inhabit the feather quills.[15][16]

Status and Conservation

The black-headed woodpecker is currently classified as least concern, but populations are decreasing.[1] This is mostly due to habitat destruction caused by human settlements and agricultural fields.[17]

In 2003, the black-headed woodpecker was declared a protected wildlife species by the Thai government.[18] The species is also found in many wildlife sanctuaries across Thailand.[19][20]

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22681481A130042305.en
    . Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. ^
    S2CID 216205008
    , retrieved 10 November 2021
  3. ^ a b c "Black-headed Woodpecker – eBird". ebird.org. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  4. PMID 18487062
    .
  5. S2CID 85704825
    .
  6. ^ "Picus erythropygius". ITIS – Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Archived from the original on 23 October 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  7. JSTOR 4064390
    .
  8. ^ a b Mittermeier, John C.; Sandvig, Erik M.; Jocque, Merlijn (2019). "Surveys in 2018 along the Mekong River, northern Kratie province, Cambodia, indicate a decade of declines in populations of threatened bird species". BirdingASIA. 32: 80–89.
  9. ^
    S2CID 130984062
    .
  10. ^ Zusi, R. L.; Marshall, J. T. (1970). "A comparison of Asiatic and North American sapsuckers" (PDF). Natural History Bulletin of the Siam Society. 23: 393–407.
  11. ^ a b c Limparungpatthanakij, Wichyanan; Gale, George; Brockelman, Warren Y.; Round, Philip David (2017). "Western striped squirrel Tamiops mcclellandii: A non-avian sentinel species of bird waves". Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 65: 474–481.
  12. ^ Round, Philip D. (1982). "Notes on Breeding Birds in North-West Thailand" (PDF). Nat. Hist. Bull. Siam Soc. 30: 1–14.
  13. ^ a b Limparungpatthanakij, Wichyanan; Brockelman, Warren Y; Gale, George; Round, Philip David (2019). "Woodpeckers benefit from participation in mixed-species flocks in lowland deciduous forests, Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand". Forktail. 35: 57–59.
  14. PMID 407347
    .
  15. ISSN 0030-5316
    .
  16. S2CID 92799823
    .
  17. ^ Treesucon, Uthai; Round, Philip D. (1990). "Report on Threatened Birds in Thailand". Tiger Paper. 17 (3): 1–9.
  18. ^ "กฎกระทรวง ก ำหนดให้สัตว์ป่ำบางชนิดเป็นสัตว์ป่ำคุ้มครอง พ.ศ. ๒๕๔๖" (PDF). กรมประมง (Department of Fisheries, Thailand). 2003. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  19. ^ "นกหัวขวานเขียวตะโพกแดง Black-headed Woodpecker ( Picus erythropygius (Elliot, 1865) )". Birds of the Lower Northern Thailand. Archived from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  20. ^ Wiles, Gary J. (1979). "The Birds of Salak Phra Wildlife Sanctuary, Southwestern Thailand" (PDF). Nat. Hist. Bull. Siam Soc. 28: 101–120.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black-headed_woodpecker&oldid=1213805605"