White-browed piculet

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White-browed piculet
White-browed Piculet Khangchendzonga National Park West Sikkim Sikkim India 19.02.2016.jpg
From Khangchendzonga National Park, West Sikkim, India.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Genus: Sasia
Species:
S. ochracea
Binomial name
Sasia ochracea
Hodgson, 1837

The white-browed piculet (Sasia ochracea) is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Contents

Description

Illustration by John Gould BirdsAsiaJohnGoVIGoul 0168, crop.jpg
Illustration by John Gould

This small piculet has olive-green upper parts tinged with chestnut and grows to a length of up to 10 cm (4 in). The under parts are cinnamon or rufous, sometimes yellowish on the flanks. The stubby tail is blackish. The crown is green, and there is a white streak above and immediately behind the eye, the latter being surrounded by a ring of bare pinkish or reddish skin. Males have a small golden-yellow patch on the forehead which females lack. Juveniles are duller in colour than adults, greener above and greyer beneath. The beak is grey, the iris is red and the legs are yellow or orange, the feet having just three toes, [2] (four being the norm in the woodpecker family). [3] In southern Myanmar and southeastern Thailand, where their ranges overlap, the white-browed piculet can be confused with the very similar rufous piculet (Sasia abnormis), but differs in the white streak above the eye and the darker beak. [4]

Distribution and habitat

The white-browed piculet is native to tropical southeastern Asia. Its range extends from northern India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh through southern China to Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. [1] Its home is dense wet or dry forest with plenty of vines and bamboo, scrub and swampy woodlands. It is found at altitudes of up to 2,600 m (8,500 ft). [2]

Ecology

In Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand

It forages in the understory layer not far above the ground, pecking and probing with its sharp beak. Its diet consists of small insects, bark beetles, ants, termites, spiders and other small invertebrates. It often forages in pairs or may join small flocks of mixed species, sometimes descending to the ground, where it may hop for short distances. [2]

This bird uses pieces of bamboo to make its nest. It picks up bits of broken bamboo with its feet, and uses its beak to pull away partially broken fragments. [5] Breeding takes place between March and July. [6]

Status

The white-browed piculet is described as a fairly common bird and has a very extensive range. No particular threats to this bird are known and, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, the population is believed to be stable. For these reasons, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed this bird's conservation status as being of "least concern". [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodpecker</span> Family of birds (Picidae)

Woodpeckers are part of the bird 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piculet</span> Subfamily of birds

The piculets are a distinctive subfamily, Picumninae, of small woodpeckers which occur mainly in tropical South America, with just three Asian and one African species.

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

The bay woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae.

<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">Himalayan woodpecker</span> 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".

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-and-buff woodpecker</span> 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.

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

The plain-breasted piculet is a species of bird in subfamily Picumninae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in the Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-barred piculet</span> Species of woodpecker

The white-barred piculet is a species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mottled piculet</span> Species of woodpecker

The mottled piculet is a Near Threatened species of bird in subfamily Picumninae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivaceous piculet</span> Species of woodpecker

The olivaceous piculet is a species of bird in subfamily Picumninae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found from Guatemala south through Central America and western South America to Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orinoco piculet</span> Species of woodpecker

The Orinoco piculet is a species of bird in subfamily Picumninae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, and possibly Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ochre-collared piculet</span> Species of woodpecker

The ochre-collared piculet is a species of bird in subfamily Picumninae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Varzea piculet</span> Species of woodpecker

The varzea piculet is a Near Threatened species of bird in subfamily Picumninae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is endemic to Brazil's Amazon basin.

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

The banded woodpecker or the banded red woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.

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

The rufous piculet is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. This species is one of the world's smallest woodpeckers and is the smallest woodpecker found outside the Americas. In this species the length can range from 8 to 10 cm and the average body mass is around 9.2 g (0.32 oz).

<i>Sasia</i> Genus of birds

Sasia is a genus of birds in the woodpecker family Picidae, that are native to the Old World. They are very small, virtually tailless woodpeckers, with a crombec or nuthatch-like appearance and foraging habits. Their habitat is forest and secondary growth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African piculet</span> Species of bird

The African piculet, 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".

<i>Picumnus</i> (bird) Genus of birds

Picumnus is a large genus of piculets. With a total length of 8–10 cm (3–4 in), they are among the smallest birds in the woodpecker family. All species are found in the Neotropics except the speckled piculet that has a wide distribution in China, India and Southeast Asia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 BirdLife International (2016). "Sasia ochracea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22680792A92878528. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22680792A92878528.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Gorman, Gerard (2014). Woodpeckers of the World: A Photographic Guide. Firefly Books. pp. 92–93. ISBN   978-1770853096.
  3. Gorman, Gerard (2014). Woodpeckers of the World: A Photographic Guide. Firefly Books. p. 16. ISBN   978-1770853096.
  4. Winkler, Hans; Christie, David A. (2010). Woodpeckers. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 121. ISBN   978-1-4081-3504-4.
  5. "White-browed piculet". Thai National Parks. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  6. Winkler, H. & Christie, D.A. "White-browed Piculet (Sasia ochracea)". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Retrieved 30 January 2017.