Thai National Parks

Species of Thailand

Rufous-bellied woodpecker

Dendrocopos hyperythrus

Nicholas Aylward Vigors, 1831

In Thai: นกหัวขวานด่างท้องน้ำตาลแดง

The rufous-bellied woodpecker or rufous-bellied sapsucker (Dendrocopos hyperythrus) 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.

Description

The rufous-bellied woodpecker ranges in length from about 19 to 23 cm. The male has a red crown while the female has a black crown, speckled with white. Both sexes have a black mantle and back, while the wings are black barred with white. The upper tail is black, with some white barring on the outer two pairs of feathers. The face is white and the throat and underparts are a uniform cinnamon or rufous. The lower belly is black barred with white and the under-tail converts are red or pink. The iris is chestnut, the upper mandible of the beak is black and the lower mandible grey, and the legs are grey or olive.

Ecology

It has a tongue that has a brushy tip that allows it to feed on sap. Sap is predominantly sought in the spring season while wood-boring and bark insects are taken at most other times. The same trees may be used for the extraction of sap from year to year.

Status

The rufous-bellied woodpecker has a wide range but is generally an uncommon bird. It has disappeared from part of its former range because of the clearing of the deciduous forest necessary for its survival. The population trend is thought to be downwards, but the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

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Category / Seasonal Status

BCST Category: Recorded in an apparently wild state within the last 50 years

BCST Seasonal status: Resident or presumed resident

Scientific classification

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Piciformes
Family
Picidae
Genus
Dendrocopos
Species
Dendrocopos hyperythrus

Common names

  • Thai: นกหัวขวานด่างท้องน้ำตาลแดง

Synonyms

  • Hypopicus hyperythrus

Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN3.1)

Least Concern (IUCN3.1)

Critically Endangered (IUCN3.1)

Critically Endangered (ONEP)

Endangered (IUCN3.1)

Endangered (BCST)

- Should be EN or CR -

Photos

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Rufous-bellied woodpecker
Rufous-bellied woodpecker

Range Map

Distribution map of Rufous-bellied woodpecker, Dendrocopos hyperythrus in Thailand
  • Mae Ping National Park
  • Thap Lan National Park
Range map of Dendrocopos hyperythrus in Thailand