Tristram's Woodpecker
Encyclopedia
The Tristram's Woodpecker (kor.: 크낙새 khunak, jap.: Kitataki) (Dryocopus javensis richardsi) is a rare Korean subspecies of the White-bellied Woodpecker
. It was discovered and described by English scholar and ornithologist Henry Baker Tristram
in 1879.
s, oak
s, poplar
s, and elm
s. It prefers dead trees, where it nests in the hollow trunk and searches the bark for insects. The breeding period is from April to May where the female lays three to four eggs. It forages for food before sunrise and it returns its nest at sunset. It can move quickly from tree to tree, and when it perceives danger it jumps into a hollow trunk.
and on the Korean peninsula. Due to intensive hunting and the request for museum specimens in the western world between 1898 and 1902 this species almost completely disappeared from that island. In 1920 Japanese ornithologist Dr. Nagamichi Kuroda
found the last specimen on Tshushima. Also in Korea it became a rare bird due to expansive deforestation. Though it was legally protected since 1952, it had vanished from South Korea by 1978. In 1993 a pair were spotted in the demilitarized zone
. Today it only exists in North Korea. Probably fewer than 50 birds exist in the provinces of Kangwŏn-do and North Hwanghae in particular in the remaining forests of Rinsan
, Phyongsan, Jangphung, Pakyon, Kaesong
around the area of Myŏraksan. On May 30, 1968 it was proclaimed as National Monument No. 197 and therefore it enjoyed the special protection of the government. It is listed in Appendix I CITES but there is no special entry for this subspecies in the IUCN redlist.
White-bellied Woodpecker
The White-bellied Woodpecker is found in evergreen forests of tropical Asia. It has 14 subspecies, part of a complex including the Andaman Woodpecker . Many island forms are endangered, some are extinct. Populations differ in the distribution and extent of white...
. It was discovered and described by English scholar and ornithologist Henry Baker Tristram
Henry Baker Tristram
The Reverend Henry Baker Tristram FRS was an English clergyman, Biblical scholar, traveller and ornithologist.Tristram was born at Eglingham vicarage, near Alnwick, Northumberland, and studied at Durham School and Lincoln College, Oxford. In 1846 he was ordained a priest, but he suffered from...
in 1879.
Description
The Tristram's Woodpecker, with its 46 cm length, is among the largest woodpeckers. Both the tuft and the cheek patches are crimson red; its upper parts are black, which contrast with its white underparts, wing tips and a white rump. It has four toes of which two are directed backwards. Its tailfeathers are firm. Its native name was derived from the strange call which sounds like kullak!Habitat and Ecology
This woodpecker inhabits dense mountain forests above 1000 m as well as urban areas. It is commonly found in areas with chestnutChestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
s, oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s, poplar
Poplar
Populus is a genus of 25–35 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar , aspen, and cottonwood....
s, and elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
s. It prefers dead trees, where it nests in the hollow trunk and searches the bark for insects. The breeding period is from April to May where the female lays three to four eggs. It forages for food before sunrise and it returns its nest at sunset. It can move quickly from tree to tree, and when it perceives danger it jumps into a hollow trunk.
Threats
Historically the Tristram's Woodpecker was found on the Japanese island of TshushimaTsushima Island
Tsushima Island is an island of the Japanese Archipelago situated in the middle of the Tsushima Strait at 34°25'N and 129°20'E. The main island of Tsushima was once a single island, but the island was divided into two in 1671 by the Ōfunakosiseto canal and into three in 1900 by the Manzekiseto canal...
and on the Korean peninsula. Due to intensive hunting and the request for museum specimens in the western world between 1898 and 1902 this species almost completely disappeared from that island. In 1920 Japanese ornithologist Dr. Nagamichi Kuroda
Nagamichi Kuroda
was a Japanese ornithologist. His works included Birds of the Island of Java and Parrots of the World in Life Colours . He described the Crested Shelduck in 1917....
found the last specimen on Tshushima. Also in Korea it became a rare bird due to expansive deforestation. Though it was legally protected since 1952, it had vanished from South Korea by 1978. In 1993 a pair were spotted in the demilitarized zone
Korean Demilitarized Zone
The Korean Demilitarized Zone is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. The DMZ cuts the Korean Peninsula roughly in half, crossing the 38th parallel on an angle, with the west end of the DMZ lying south of the parallel and...
. Today it only exists in North Korea. Probably fewer than 50 birds exist in the provinces of Kangwŏn-do and North Hwanghae in particular in the remaining forests of Rinsan
Rinsan
Rinsan is a county in North Hwanghae province, North Korea....
, Phyongsan, Jangphung, Pakyon, Kaesong
Kaesong
Kaesŏng is a city in North Hwanghae Province, southern North Korea , a former Directly Governed City, and the capital of Korea during the Koryo Dynasty. The city is near Kaesŏng Industrial Region and it contains the remains of the Manwoldae palace. It was formally named Songdo while it was the...
around the area of Myŏraksan. On May 30, 1968 it was proclaimed as National Monument No. 197 and therefore it enjoyed the special protection of the government. It is listed in Appendix I CITES but there is no special entry for this subspecies in the IUCN redlist.