Yellow-crested woodpecker

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Yellow-crested woodpecker
Yellow-crested woodpecker male of the subspecies Picus c. chlorigaster

Yellow-crested woodpecker
male of the subspecies Picus c. chlorigaster

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Woodpecker birds (Piciformes)
Family : Woodpeckers (Picidae)
Subfamily : Real woodpeckers (Picinae)
Genre : Picus
Type : Yellow-crested woodpecker
Scientific name
Picus chlorolophus
Vieillot , 1818

The crested woodpecker ( Picus chlorolophus ) is a species of bird from the family of woodpeckers (Picidae). The small to medium-sized woodpecker species inhabits large parts of South and Southeast Asia and inhabits a wide range of forest types as well as savannahs , scrubland and plantations up to village gardens with a rich tree population. The food that is sought mainly in the lower tree layer and also on lying dead wood and on the ground consists mainly of ants, beetles and their larvae and other insect larvae. These woodpeckers also eat berries and nectar .

The species is quite common in its area to locally common and the population is considered stable, the yellow-crested woodpecker is therefore classified by the IUCN as not endangered ("least concern").

description

The yellow-hooded woodpecker resembles the green woodpecker native to Central Europe in terms of the green top side, but the rest of the color, individually and geographically very variable, and the entire habitus differ greatly. They are small to medium-sized woodpeckers with a pronounced, shaggy feather hood, a stiff, long tail and a rather long, chisel-shaped, pointed beak that is broad at the base. The ridge of the beak is only slightly bent downwards. The body length is about 25-28 cm, the weight 57-83 g. They are therefore only slightly larger than a great spotted woodpecker and a little lighter than this. The species shows a not very conspicuous sexual dimorphism in terms of coloration , females are also slightly smaller than males.

In males of the nominate form , the entire upper side including the upper tail-coverts, upper wing-coverts and umbrella feathers is green with a golden yellow tone, the rump is often more brightly colored. The wings are predominantly dark brown; the outer flags of the arm-wings and the inner hand-wings are red-brown with green borders. All wings show white, beam-like spots on the inside flags and the outside hand wings also on the outside flags. The tail top is blackish, the outer tail feathers are tinged with green. The breast is gray-green to dark green, the rest of the underside of the trunk including the under tail-coverts shows a somewhat diffuse olive to olive-gray or brownish olive arrowhead-like markings on a dirty white background. The undersides of the wings are banded on a brownish, the under wing-coverts on an olive-colored background whitish. The lower tail is colored like the upper tail, but paler overall.

The forehead and top of the head are green, the green area is loosely lined with red feathers on the sides and back. The feathers on the back of the head, elongated to a hood, are golden yellow or orange, this yellow color extends to the nape of the neck. The ear covers and sides of the neck are olive green, and there is usually a small white area at the back of the eye. The upper rein region is black, a whitish stripe interspersed with olive runs from the lower rein region to the rear edge of the ear covers. The beard stripe is red, mostly some green feathers are also visible here. The chin and throat are olive to greyish and in variable thickness whitish dashed or banded.

The beak is blackish gray, the base of the lower mandible is lighter and often yellow-green. Legs and toes are grayish green. The iris is reddish brown to dark red, the eye ring is slate gray.

The female has no red beard; this part is olive green like the rest of the head. In addition, the red color on the top of the head is limited to a narrow spot on the back of the head.

Vocalizations

The most common call is a loud, somewhat sad-sounding, two-syllable “pee-uh” or “peee-ui” , whereby the first syllable is stressed. Often a single “chak” can be heard, more rarely a series of up to ten sounds such as “kwee-kwee-kwee-kwee-kwee” . When meeting conspecifics of the opposite sex, soft, giggling calls can be heard. The species rarely drums.

distribution

This species of woodpecker inhabits large parts of South and Southeast Asia. The strongly disjointed distribution area extends in a west-east direction from the western foothills of the Himalayas at around 76 ° E to the southern Chinese provinces of Guangxi and Hainan . To the south, the area extends to the southern tip of India and Sri Lanka , further east to the south of Myanmar and Vietnam and then with small islands to the central Malay Peninsula and the southwest of Sumatra . The size of the total distribution area is not exactly known.

Systematics

The species is very variable both individually and geographically, so numerous subspecies have been described. Winkler et al. recognize 9 subspecies, which can be divided into two groups based on their underside color. Three subspecies including the nominate form show dark markings on a whitish background:

  • Picus chlorolophus chlorolophus Vieillot , 1818 - east of Nepal to the east to north of Vietnam. The nominate form is described above. Subspecies with the brightest colors on the top and with the largest yellow or orange section on the head.
  • Picus c. simlae Meinertzhagen , 1924 - Himachal Pradesh and West Nepal. Largest subspecies, wing and tail length greater than in the nominate form. Upper side less yellow and more green, back of the head with less extensive orange area.
  • Picus c. annamensis Meinertzhagen , 1924 - southeast of Thailand to the east to the south of Vietnam. Smaller than nominate form. Upper side darker green. Red colouration on the upper part of the head more extensive, belly and flanks whiter. The underside banding extends to the lower chest, but is more indistinct on the abdomen and flanks.

The following six subspecies show light drawings on the underside of the fuselage on a dark background:

  • Picus c. chlorigaster Jerdon , 1845 - Central and South India. Smaller than the three previously mentioned subspecies. Upper side clearly darker green, lower side matt olive green with faint, light, band-like spots on the flanks and belly and light spots on the chest. Face without white markings, more extensive red colouration of the skull and cap less yellow.
  • Picus c. wellsi Meinertzhagen , 1924 - Sri Lanka. Very similar to the previous subspecies, but somewhat darker, the underside of the fuselage weaker and the red color of the skull as well as the reddish brown color of the wings more extensive.
  • Picus c. citrinocristatus ( Rickett , 1901) - Tonking region in northern Vietnam and Fujian Province in China . Upper side only with a light yellow tone, lower side ash gray with a barely perceptible green tone, which is still most evident on the chest, a few light bands on the flanks. Whitish cheek stripe, red color of the beard stripe in males hardly pronounced.
  • Picus c. longipennis ( Hartert , 1910) - Chinese province of Hainan . Very similar to the previous subspecies, but slightly smaller, the underside with a stronger shade of green and more strongly banded flanks.
  • Picus c. rodgeri ( Hartert , 1910) - highlands of the Malay Peninsula. Very similar to Picus c. chlorigaster , but the underside more strongly banded, clearly lighter cheek stripes, red colouration on the upper part of the head less extensive and the bonnet with a slight golden hue.
  • Picus c. vanheysti ( Robinson & Kloss , 1919) - Southwest Sumatra. Very similar to the previous subspecies, but the upper side a little more yellow and the underside more green and less gray.

According to a molecular genetic investigation including ten of the twelve species still belonging to the genus Picus , the very similar red-winged woodpecker ( Picus puniceus ) is the sister species of the yellow-crested woodpecker. These two species in turn form the sister taxon of all other representatives of the genus.

habitat

Yellow-crested woodpeckers inhabit a wide range of forest types as well as savannahs , scrubland and plantations up to village gardens with a rich tree population. On the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, the species is restricted to the hills and mountains at altitudes between 800 and 1400 m (Sumatra) or above 900 m (Malaysia), where the red-winged woodpecker replaces the yellow-hooded woodpecker in lower altitudes. In Thailand , Vietnam and Sri Lanka the species occurs from the lowlands up to 1800 m altitude, in Sikkim and Nepal up to 2100 m.

Lifestyle and diet

Yellow-crested woodpeckers are found singly, in pairs or in small family groups and often join mixed groups of birds. They are quite loud and conspicuous. Foraging takes place mainly in the lower tree layer on smaller trees or in the undergrowth and often on lying dead wood and dead trees on windthrow areas and on the ground. Trunks and thicker branches are searched for on trees, but yellow-crested woodpeckers can also climb along thin branches to reach the cardboard nests of ants of the Crematogaster genus or blossoms. Insects are also searched for in dung heaps on the ground . The food mainly consists of ants, beetles and their larvae and other insect larvae. These woodpeckers also eat berries and nectar . Food objects are obtained predominantly by probing and reading; Chopping and hammering are observed much less frequently.

Reproduction

The breeding season varies depending on the distribution area, in Sri Lanka it ranges from February to July, in Sikkim from April to May, in Myanmar from March to May and in Malaysia from February to May. The caves are created in dead trees or dead parts of living trees at heights of 2 to 5 m, occasionally even lower or at a height of 20 m. The clutches include three to four, rarely five, in the south of the area only one or two eggs. Both partners breed and feed the young birds with choked food.

Existence and endangerment

Information on the size of the world population is not available. The species is quite common in its area to locally common and the population is considered stable, the yellow-crested woodpecker is therefore classified by the IUCN as not endangered ("least concern").

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Yellow-crested Woodpecker at BirdLife International (Online, accessed January 10, 2011)
  2. ↑ Hans Winkler, David A. Christie and David Nurney: Woodpeckers. A Guide to the Woodpeckers, Piculets, and Wrynecks of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge 1995: p. 357
  3. ↑ Jérôme Fuchs, Jean-Marc Pons, Per GP Ericson, Céline Bonillo, Arnaud Couloux and Eric Pasquet: Molecular support for a rapid cladogenesis of the woodpecker clade Malarpicini, with further insights into the genus Picus (Piciformes: Picinae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 48, 2008: pp. 34-46

literature

  • Hans Winkler , David A. Christie and David Nurney: Woodpeckers. A Guide to the Woodpeckers, Piculets, and Wrynecks of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge 1995, ISBN 0-395-72043-5 , pp. 142-143 and 356-357.

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