Andaman Woodpecker
Dryocopus hodgei
A large, unmistakable black woodpecker with a red crest. Note the long, dark bill and strikingly pale eyes. Found in mangroves and evergreen forests, where it occurs in pairs or small parties. Prefers feeding higher up, but is known to come down to look for invertebrates. The call is loud, sharp, and shrill, and usually consists of one or two notes.
Identification
The Andaman woodpecker is around 38 cm (15 in) long and weighs between 156–255 g (5.5–9.0 oz). The plumage is mostly slate-grey to black, with a bright red crest. The male also has a red crown and malar area under the eye. The bare skin around the eye is grey, and the legs are slaty coloured, and the bill is black. The irises are pale yellow. Juvenile birds look like adults but have browner, duller plumage and brown eyes, and may have with feathers in the crown. The species differs from the white-bellied woodpecker in not having a white belly and having more slate-coloured plumage (as opposed to black).
Taxonomy
The Andaman woodpecker was described by Edward Blyth in 1860 as Mulleripicus Hodgei. The specific name hodgei is for Captain S. Hodge, of the Royal Navy, who was stationed in the Andaman Islands at the time. The species was once considered to be a subspecies of the white-bellied woodpecker, but differs in its appearance and its calls. The separation of the two species is also supported by genetic evidence.
- Scientific name
- Dryocopus hodgei
- Authority
- (Blyth, 1860)
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Picidae
- Genus
- Dryocopus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Little is recorded about the behaviour of the Andaman woodpecker. It lives in pairs, but also associates in small flocks. It forages on large trunks and branches, but has also been recorded foraging on the ground for ants. It has been recorded breeding between January and March, and breeds in a nest hole 6–14 m (20–46 ft) off the forest floor, in a dead tree. Two eggs are laid.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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