Yellow-crowned Woodpecker
Leiopicus mahrattensis
Medium-sized woodpecker with a densely-spotted black-and-white back and blotchy brown-and-white underparts. Female has an all-golden crown; male has a red forecrown. Where it overlaps with Brown-fronted Woodpecker, note blotchier brown striping on the underparts, pale vent, and duller crown. Gives sharp notes and a high descending rattle. Favors dry arid areas with relatively open foliage.
Identification
A medium-small (17.5 cm, 6.9 inches, 28-46 grams, 1–1.6 ounces), pale-headed, pied woodpecker. Upper-parts black, heavily spotted and barred white. Underparts dark, streaked dingy white with red belly patch. Irregular brown cheek and neck patches. Female has yellowish crown and nape. In male nape scarlet and fore-crown yellow.
Taxonomy
The yellow-crowned woodpecker was originally described by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1801 under the binomial name Picus mahrattensis. It is now the only species placed in the genus Leiopicus that was introduced by the French ornithologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1854. The specific epithet mahrattensis is from Marhatta, a historical region in the modern Indian state of Maharashtra. The genus name Leiopicus combines the Classical Greek leios meaning "smooth" or "beardless" and pikos meaning "woodpecker". The yellow-crowned woodpecker is closely related to the woodpeckers in the genus Dendrocoptes.
- Scientific name
- Leiopicus mahrattensis
- Authority
- (Latham, 1801)
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Picidae
- Genus
- Leiopicus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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A quite small flycatcher that is a fairly rare inhabitant of the canopy and borders of humid forests, where it typically perches in an upright position on exposed branches. Sometimes follows mixed-species flocks. Note the broad white eyebrow contrasting with the black crown (without yellow) and a prominent mask. Mostly olive-brown above and yellow below. Resembles Social Flycatcher, but is smaller and lacks the red crown patch and white throat. The song is a harsh “djew-djew” repeated energetically.
Sunda Thrush
Zoothera andromedae
Slaty blue-gray thrush with beautiful black-and-white-scaled sides and a subtle but distinctive face pattern. Very shy and skulky, foraging in dense undergrowth in montane and foothill forests, seldom emerging out into the open. Generally rare throughout its range. Gives a very high-pitched descending “tsewwww.”
Santa Marta Antbird
Drymophila hellmayri
Slender, long-tailed antbird restricted to the lower slopes of Colombia’s Santa Marta Mountains. It is heavily streaked on the head, breast, and back and has a tawny belly and rump. Male has darker and more contrasting streaks than female. No other similar antbird occurs in the Santa Martas. Inhabits stands of bamboo and usually first detected by voice. Typical song is two or more “chup” notes followed by several rasps. Regularly encountered along roadsides below El Dorado Nature Reserve.
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