Himalayan woodpecker

Last updated

Himalayan woodpecker
Himalayan Woodpecker (male).jpg
Male at Pangot in Nainital district of Uttarakhand, India
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Genus: Dendrocopos
Species:
D. himalayensis
Binomial name
Dendrocopos himalayensis
(Jardine & Selby, 1831)

The Himalayan woodpecker (Dendrocopos himalayensis) is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent, primarily the Himalayas and some adjoining areas, and ranges across Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Pakistan. Its natural habitats are boreal forests and temperate forests. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern". [1]

Contents

Description

A medium-sized, pied woodpecker reaching a length of about 24 cm (9 in). Glossy black above with broad white patches from shoulder to lower back, limited white barring on flight feathers and clean white tail edgings. Underparts and head white or plain pale buff with black Y-shaped mark on neck and cheeks. The crown is red in males and black in females. Black marks under eyes are unique and distinguish it from other species. Vent and under-tail coverts red or pink. Iris chestnut, beak blackish and legs grey. The juvenile is duller, greyish-black above, and with vent and under-tail areas less vivid and crown greyish with some red (in both sexes). [2]

Ecology

The Himalayan woodpecker is found at altitudes between 1,500 and 3,200 m (4,900 and 10,500 ft). Its habitat is either wet or dry upland forest with either deciduous or coniferous trees, and often with rhododendrons. It forages individually, usually on trunks and large branches but sometimes on the ground. Its diet is varied, with insects, fruits, seeds and sap. It sometimes hammers fir cones on stones to extract the seeds. [2]

Status

The Himalayan woodpecker has a wide range and is generally a common or fairly common bird. No particular threats have been recognized and the population trend is thought to be steady. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern". [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheer pheasant</span> Species of bird

The cheer pheasant, also known as Wallich's pheasant or chir pheasant, is a vulnerable species of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. It is the only member in the genus Catreus. The scientific name commemorates Danish botanist Nathaniel Wallich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-billed blue magpie</span> Species of bird

The yellow-billed blue magpie or gold-billed magpie is a passerine bird in the crow and jay family, Corvidae. It forms a superspecies with the Taiwan blue magpie and the red-billed blue magpie. The species ranges across the northern parts of the Indian Subcontinent including the lower Himalayas, with a disjunct population in Vietnam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kullu</span> Town in Himachal Pradesh, India

Kullu is a municipal council town that serves as the administrative headquarters of the Kullu district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is located on the banks of the Beas River in the Kullu Valley about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of the airport at Bhuntar, Kullu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultramarine flycatcher</span> Species of bird

The ultramarine flycatcher or the white-browed blue flycatcher is a small arboreal Old World flycatcher in the ficedula family that breeds in the foothills of the Himalayas and winters in southern India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese pygmy woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The Japanese pygmy woodpecker or pygmy woodpecker is a species of woodpecker. It is found in coniferous and deciduous forests in Russia, China, Korea and Japan. This species has also been placed in the genus Dendrocopos or Picoides. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a least-concern species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-throated bushtit</span> Species of bird

The black-throated bushtit, also known as the black-throated tit, is a very small passerine bird in the family Aegithalidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dark-breasted rosefinch</span> Species of bird

The dark-breasted rosefinch is a species of true finch in the monotypic genus Procarduelis. It is found in Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are boreal forests and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pink-browed rosefinch</span> Species of bird

The pink-browed rosefinch is a finch in the family Fringillidae. The species was first described by Nicholas Aylward Vigors in 1831. It ranges across the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent, mainly in the Himalayas, and is migratory. It is found in Bhutan, Tibet, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Its natural habitats are boreal forests and subtropical or tropical dry forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-and-yellow grosbeak</span> Species of bird

The black-and-yellow grosbeak is a species of finch native to the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent, primarily the lower and middle Himalayas. It is in the family Fringillidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Variegated laughingthrush</span> Species of bird

The variegated laughingthrush is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is endemic to the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent, primarily the low-to-mid altitudes of the Himalayas. It ranges across Bhutan, India, Nepal and Tibet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long-tailed minivet</span> Species of bird

The long-tailed minivet is a species of bird in the family Campephagidae. It is found in southern and south-eastern Asia where it occurs in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-fronted redstart</span> Species of bird

The blue-fronted redstart is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae, the Old World flycatchers. It breeds in central China and the Himalayas. Its natural habitat is temperate forests. The female is brownish-grey, with paler underparts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scaly-breasted cupwing</span> Species of bird

The scaly-breasted cupwing or scaly-breasted wren-babbler is a species of bird in the Pnoepyga wren-babblers family, Pnoepygidae. It is found in southern and eastern Asia from the Himalayas to Indochina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey bush chat</span> Species of bird

The grey bush chat is a species of passerine bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in the Himalayas, southern China, Taiwan, Nepal and mainland Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-tailed nuthatch</span> Species of bird

The white-tailed nuthatch is a species of bird in the family Sittidae. It ranges across the northern and northeastern parts of the Indian Subcontinent, existing mainly in the low-to-middle Himalayas, as well as associated mountain ranges. It is found in Bhutan, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Tibet and Thailand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden bush robin</span> Species of songbird

The golden bush robin or golden bush-robin was first discovered in 1845 by Brian Houghton Hodgson, a British naturalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stripe-breasted woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The stripe-breasted woodpecker is a species of bird in the woodpecker family, Picidae. It is found in Southeast Asia within subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crimson-naped woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The crimson-naped woodpecker, crimson-breasted woodpecker or scarlet-breasted woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar and Nepal. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It was previously considered conspecific with necklaced woodpecker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darjeeling woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The Darjeeling woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent, primarily in the Himalayas, and in some adjoining areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-bellied woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The rufous-bellied woodpecker or rufous-bellied sapsucker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. This woodpecker has a habit of making a series of small pits on the bark of trees leading to its being considered an Asiatic member of the sapsuckers in the past. It is found along the Himalayas in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, ranging across Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Manchuria, Ussuriland and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

References

  1. 1 2 3 BirdLife International (2016). "Dendrocopos himalayensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22681136A92893795. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22681136A92893795.en . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Gorman, Gerard (2014). Woodpeckers of the World: A Photographic Guide. Firefly Books. pp. 258–259. ISBN   978-1770853096.