Black-headed Woodpecker

Appearance

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

Naming

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

⤷  "Picus erythropygius nigrigenis" – Myanmar and Northwest-West Thailand. This subspecies is more commonly found and can be identified by its black bill.
⤷  "Picus erythropygius erythropygius" – Northeast Thailand and Indochina. This subspecies has a white bill, as opposed to a black one.

Distribution

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

Status

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

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

Habitat

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

Reproduction

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

Food

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