Japanese pygmy woodpecker

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Japanese pygmy woodpecker
Japanese pygmy woodpecker in Sakai, Osaka, February 2016.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Genus: Yungipicus
Species:
Y. kizuki
Binomial name
Yungipicus kizuki
(Temminck, 1836) [2]
Synonyms
  • Picoides kizuki
  • Dendrocopos kizuki

The Japanese pygmy woodpecker or pygmy woodpecker [3] (Yungipicus kizuki) 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.

Contents

Taxonomy

This species was described by Temminck in 1836. The IOC World Bird List recognizes the following subspecies: Yungipicus kizuki permutatus, Y. k. seebohmi, Y. k. nippon, Y. k. shikokuensis, Y. k. kizuki (the nominate subspecies), Y. k. matsudairai, Y. k. kotataki, Y. k. amamii, Y. k. nigrescens and Y. k. orii. [4] The species has previously been placed in genera Dendrocopos and Picoides . [3]

Description

Pygmy woodpecker in South Korea Pygmy woodpecker.jpg
Pygmy woodpecker in South Korea

The Japanese pygmy woodpecker is 13–15 cm (5.1–5.9 in) long. The crown is grey-brown. A white supercilium starts above the eye and continues to the neck and breast. The ear coverts are brown, and there are a white moustachial stripe and a grey-brown malar stripe. The chin and throat are white. The mantle and back are dark brown, with white bars. The upperwing coverts and flight feathers are brownish-black and have white bars. The breast has a brownish suffusion. The breast, flank and belly have variable streaks. [5] The tail is blackish, with white bars on its outer feathers. The iris is chestnut, the beak is blackish and the legs are grey. The male has a small red mark on the side of its nape, and the female does not. The female's beak, wings and tail are longer than the male's. The juvenile bird's throat is often streaked. [6] The bird becomes smaller and darker from the north of its range to the south. [5] [6]

Distribution and habitat

This woodpecker is found in Korea, northeastern China, southeastern Siberia, Sakhalin, Japan and the Ryukyu Islands. [5] It occurs up to 2,100 m (6,900 ft) in elevation, and its habitat consists of many types of coniferous and deciduous forests, including lowland, upland and riverine forests, and also parks and gardens. [6]

Behaviour

The Japanese pygmy woodpecker occurs in pairs and mixed-species foraging flocks, searching on trees for invertebrates, such as spiders, caterpillars, ants and aphids, and berries. [6] Its calls are khit and kzz notes, and it drums weakly in short bursts. Breeding starts in March in southern Japan and in late May in northern Japan. [5] A nest hole is excavated in a dead branch. The eggs are white, measuring about 19 mm (0.75 in) by 15 mm (0.6 in). [7] Five to seven white eggs are laid and then incubated for 12 to 14 days. Fledging occurs after three weeks. [5]

Status

The species has a large range and a stable population, so the IUCN has assessed it as a least-concern species. [1]

Related Research Articles

Woodpecker Family of birds

Woodpeckers are part of the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions. Most species live in forests or woodland habitats, although a few species are known that live in treeless areas, such as rocky hillsides and deserts, and the Gila woodpecker specialises in exploiting cacti.

Eurasian wryneck Species of bird

The Eurasian wryneck or northern wryneck is a species of wryneck in the woodpecker family. This species mainly breeds in temperate regions of Europe and Asia. Most populations are migratory, wintering in tropical Africa and in southern Asia from Iran to the Indian subcontinent, but some are resident in northwestern Africa. It is a bird of open countryside, woodland and orchards.

Grey-headed woodpecker Species of bird

The grey-headed woodpecker, also known as the grey-faced woodpecker, is a Eurasian member of the woodpecker family, Picidae. Along with the more commonly found European green woodpecker and the Iberian green woodpecker, it is one of three closely related sister species found in Europe. Its distribution stretches across large parts of the central and Eastern Palaearctic, all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

Brown-capped pygmy woodpecker Species of bird

The brown-capped pygmy woodpecker or Indian pygmy woodpecker is a species of very small woodpecker found in Nepal, India and Sri Lanka. Some taxonomic authorities continue to place this species in the genus Dendrocopos or Picoides.

White woodpecker Species of bird

The white woodpecker is a South American species of woodpecker native to the wooded grasslands of Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina. It is a bright white bird with black wings and a distinctive small bright yellow eye patch. The IUCN has rated it as a "least-concern species".

Black-winged flycatcher-shrike Species of bird

The black-winged flycatcher-shrike is a species of bird in the flycatcher-shrike genus, Hemipus. It is usually placed in the Vangidae. It is found in the Malay Peninsula and the Greater Sunda Islands. Its natural habitats are lowland forests and sometimes swamps and mangroves. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as being of least concern.

Bennetts woodpecker Species of bird

Bennett's woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in woodlands and bushes in Africa. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a least-concern species.

Little green woodpecker Species of bird

The little green woodpecker, or golden-backed woodpecker, is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in Africa, living in forest edges, clearings, and forest-shrub mosaics. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a least-concern species.

Stripe-breasted woodpecker 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.

Grey-capped pygmy woodpecker Species of bird

The grey-capped pygmy woodpecker is an Asian bird species of the woodpecker family (Picidae). It has a subspecies, Yungipicus canicapillus doerriesi, located primarily in Manchuria, eastern Siberia, and Korea. Some taxonomic authorities continue to place this species in the genus Dendrocopos or Picoides.

Himalayan woodpecker Species of bird

The Himalayan woodpecker 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".

Philippine pygmy woodpecker Species of bird

The Philippine pygmy woodpecker, also known as the Philippine woodpecker, is a species of bird in the woodpecker family (Picidae). Its local name in Kapampangan is Anluage.

Sunda pygmy woodpecker Species of bird

The Sunda pygmy woodpecker, also known as the Sunda woodpecker, is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Some taxonomic authorities continue to place this species in the genus Dendrocopos or Picoides.

Sulu pygmy woodpecker Species of bird

The Sulu pygmy woodpecker, also known as the Sulu woodpecker, is a species of bird in the family Picidae. Formerly lumped with the Philippine pygmy woodpecker, it seems to form a superspecies with this and the Sulawesi pygmy woodpecker. Some taxonomic authorities continue to place this species in the genus Dendrocopos or Picoides.

Sulawesi pygmy woodpecker Species of bird

The Sulawesi pygmy woodpecker, also known as the Sulawesi woodpecker, is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is endemic to Sulawesi in Indonesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist mountains. Some taxonomic authorities continue to place this species in the genus Dendrocopos or Picoides.

Grey-and-buff woodpecker Species of bird

The grey-and-buff woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, southern Myanmar, and southern Thailand, but has become regionally extinct in Singapore. Its natural habitats are lowland and montane tropical or subtropical moist broadleaf forests.

White-wedged piculet Species of bird

The white-wedged piculet is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and dry savannah. It hybridizes with the white-barred piculet where their ranges overlap.

Melancholy woodpecker Species of bird

The melancholy woodpecker is a species of woodpecker. It is found in West Africa from Sierra Leone east to Nigeria, living in forests, forest edges, clearings and woodlands. It is sometimes considered to be a subspecies of the Gabon woodpecker. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as a least-concern species.

Doerries's pygmy woodpecker is an Asian bird subspecies of the woodpecker family (Picidae) and species P. canicapillus. The woodpecker is named after Fritz Doerries, a German lepidopterist, collector, and explorer of Siberia, where the bird was first discovered.

<i>Yungipicus</i> Genus of birds

Yungipicus is a genus of woodpeckers in the native to Asia. The species in this genus were previously placed in the genus Dendrocopos.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2016). "Picoides kizuki". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22681072A92891790. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  2. Temminck, C.J. (1820–39). Nouveau recueil de planches coloriées d'oiseaux. Vol. 4. Strasbourg: Legras Imbert et Co. pl. 585.
  3. 1 2 Winkler, H.; Christie, D. A. (2021). "Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker (Picoides kizuki)". In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D. A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. doi:10.2173/bow.pygwoo1.01.1. S2CID   242004375.
  4. Gill, F.; Donsker, D. (eds.). "Woodpeckers". IOC World Bird List Version 7.2. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Winkler, Hans; Christie, David A.; Nurney, David (2010). Woodpeckers. Bloomsbury. pp. 257–258. ISBN   9781408135037.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Gorman, Gerard (2014). Woodpeckers of the World: The Complete Guide. A&C Black. pp. 229–230. ISBN   9781408147177.
  7. Ishida, Ken (2014). "Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker Kogera (Jpn) Dendrocopos kizuki" (PDF). Bird Research. 2 (5): 4–5. Retrieved 25 July 2017.