Leiopicus mahrattensis
The Yellow-crowned Woodpecker (Leiopicus mahrattensis) is a captivating, medium-sized avian resident of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, easily distinguished by its unique head plumage. Measuring 20-23 cm (7.9-9.1 in) in length and weighing 49-67g (1.7-2.4 oz), this species exhibits a striking pattern of black upperparts heavily barred with white, contrasting with yellowish-white underparts that are variably streaked with black. Its most diagnostic feature, and namesake, is the bri...
Found primarily in dry deciduous forests, open woodlands, scrub jungles, thorny bushes, and even cultivated areas or suburban gardens, typically at low to moderate elevations.
Mainly insectivorous, feeding on beetle larvae, ants, termites, and other arboreal insects, obtained by probing, gleaning, and some excavation; occasionally consumes berries and tree sap.
A diurnal species, the Yellow-crowned Woodpecker is an active and adept forager. It primarily gleans and probes for insects on tree trunks and branches, occasionally descending to the ground to find prey, and employs characteristic hammering to extract wood-boring larvae. During the breeding seas...
The Yellow-crowned Woodpecker boasts a broad distribution across the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia, primarily residing year-round within its range. Its breeding and wintering territories are essentially contiguous, stretching from the lower elevations of the Himalayas across mos...
Least Concern
- The 'yellow crown' is one of its most distinctive features, making it stand out among many predominantly black-and-white woodpecker species. - Its scientific name, Leiopicus mahrattensis, literally means 'smooth woodpecker from Maharashtra,' a region in India. - Unlike some more specialized woo...