White-bellied Woodpecker
Encyclopedia
The White-bellied Woodpecker (Great Black Woodpecker, Dryocopus javensis) is found in evergreen forests of tropical Asia. It has 14 subspecies, part of a complex including the Andaman Woodpecker
(Dryocopus hodgei) (earlier treated as a subspecies). Many island forms are endangered, some are extinct. Populations differ in the distribution and extent of white. They are among the largest of the Asiatic woodpeckers (between 42 and 48 centimetres and second in size only to the Great Slaty Woodpecker
) and nest in large dead trees, often beside rivers. Their drums and calls are louder than those of the smaller woodpeckers.
These subspecies are described:
The Andaman Woodpecker
(Dryocopus hodgei) was treated as a subspecies in the past. The species has in the past been placed in the genus Thriponax and Macropicus.
Andaman Woodpecker
The Andaman Woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is endemic to the Andaman Islands in India. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
(Dryocopus hodgei) (earlier treated as a subspecies). Many island forms are endangered, some are extinct. Populations differ in the distribution and extent of white. They are among the largest of the Asiatic woodpeckers (between 42 and 48 centimetres and second in size only to the Great Slaty Woodpecker
Great Slaty Woodpecker
The Great Slaty Woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family.It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland...
) and nest in large dead trees, often beside rivers. Their drums and calls are louder than those of the smaller woodpeckers.
Description
Subspecies hodgsonii has whitish underwing coverts and a white rump. The face lacks white but juveniles of the nominate race can have white streaks on the throat. Differences from the other Southeast Asian subspecies in the vocalizations and morphology of this species are suggested to be large enough to raise this to full species status. Solitary adults may spend an hour foraging at a suitable tree. Subspecies hodgsonii of India breeds from January to May, mainly in large dead trees, often using the same tree year after year. The normal clutch is usually of two eggs. They feed mainly on insects such as ants or grubs obtained mainly from under bark but sometimes take fruit. Although shy, they can nest close to well used tracks and human disturbed areas. They have a range of calls from a short, sharp "kuk" to more intoned "kyuk", "kew", "kee-yow" calls. The longer calls are given prior to flying off. They roost within holes.Subspecies
- D. j. javensis (Horsfield, 1821) (southern Thailand to Borneo)
- D. j. philippinensis (Steere, 1890) (More often subsumed into the nominate)
- D. j. cebuensis Kennedy, 1987 (Cebu Island)
- D. j. confusus (Stresemann, 1913) (Luzon, includes esthloterus Parkes, 1971)
- D. j. feddeni (Blyth, 1863) (Thailand, Laos and Burma)
- D. j. forresti Rothschild, 1922 (Northern Myanmar and Sichuan, China)
- D. j. hargitti (Sharpe, 1884) (Palawan)
- D. j. hodgsonii (Jerdon, 1840) is found mainly in the Western GhatsWestern GhatsThe Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
of India but also known from central India and the Eastern GhatsEastern GhatsThe Eastern Ghats or Eastern Ghauts are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats run from West Bengal state in the north, through Orissa and Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka. They are eroded and cut through by the...
. - D. j. mindorensis (Steere, 1890) (Mindoro)
- D. j. multilunatus (McGregor, 1907) (Basilan, Dinagat, Mindanao)
- D. j. parvus (Richmond, 1902) (Simeulue Island)
- D. j. pectoralis (Tweeddale, 1878) (Samar, Bohol and other islands)
- D. j. richardsi Tristram, 1879 (Tristram's WoodpeckerTristram's WoodpeckerThe Tristram's Woodpecker 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....
found in Korea, extinct on Tsushima) - D. j. suluensis (W. Blasius, 1890) (Sulu)
The Andaman Woodpecker
Andaman Woodpecker
The Andaman Woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is endemic to the Andaman Islands in India. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
(Dryocopus hodgei) was treated as a subspecies in the past. The species has in the past been placed in the genus Thriponax and Macropicus.