Checker-throated Woodpecker
Chrysophlegma mentale
Ornate medium-sized woodpecker. Moss-green with blood-red wings and neck. Back edge of head and neck are brightened by a sunny yellow crest. Black-and-white “checker” throat is not particularly obvious. Prefers mature lowland and hill forests; seldom seen in secondary growth or sparsely-vegetated edge. Typically forages at mid-levels of forest, frequently singly but also in mixed flocks or pairs. Gives loud, insistent “nyeh” notes and a strident “choo-yik!”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Chrysophlegma mentale
- Authority
- (Temminck, 1826)
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Picidae
- Genus
- Chrysophlegma
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The species has been recorded as breeding in March and April in Malaysia, and between February and June in Borneo, using nests is excavated in deadwood. It feeds on insects supplemented by berries, foraging by gleaning and probing in the lower and middle canopy storeys.
Conservation
The checker-throated woodpecker is greatly threatened by deforestation caused by illegal logging for primary forest wood and the expansion of palm oil plantations and other agricultural developments, and appears to be declining. It is currently classified as Near threatened by the IUCN.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Mute Swan
Cygnus olor
Huge white bird with long neck, reddish-orange bill, and black face. Adults have a black knob on top of the bill. Immatures are dusky brown with a gray bill. Native to northern Europe and Asia, but introduced in many regions, where it is now common on ponds, lakes, and calm coastal waters. Very aggressive toward native waterfowl. Often seen in pairs or small family groups.
Slaty-headed Parakeet
Psittacula himalayana
A medium-sized parakeet with a bluish-gray head, green body, red bill, and yellow-tipped tail. Males and females are alike, except that males have a red patch on the shoulder. Often found in large flocks which feed on fruits, blossoms, and crops. The call is a harsh, grating screech with a metallic quality. Similar to Gray-headed Parakeet, but Slaty-headed Parakeet has a darker head, an indistinct black collar, and a different call.
Sahul Cicadabird
Edolisoma tenuirostre
Woodland bird of eastern and northern Australia and New Guinea. Strong sexual dimorphism in plumage. Male dark slaty-gray, with black around bill, and black on wings. Female brown, with dark line through eye, extensive fine barring on chest and belly, and fairly plain brown wings (much browner and lacking the white wingbars of Varied Triller). Shows geographical variation, especially in female plumage. Found in the canopy of a wide variety of forest, woodland, scrub, and savanna habitats. Calls include a long (10-second) sequence of insect-like repeated buzzes (hence its name), also a slower version, and a robin-like sequence of clear whistled notes.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.