Crimson-winged Woodpecker (Picus puniceus)

Other Names (World)
Crimson-winged Woodpecker, Crimson-winged Yellownape

Family
Picidae (Woodpeckers)

Size
25 cm

First Described (Guide)
Horsfield, 1821

Habitat
Primary and secondary lowland dipterocarp to upper montane forest, peatswamp forest, kerangas, plantations. From sea-level - 1,700 m.

Range (Guide)

Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore (E), Thailand.

Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Habits
Mostly in pairs. Forms mixed feeding flocks.

Food
Mainly ants and termites, including their larvae.

Voice
Song is a laughing, cackle, 'kii kii kii kii ki', descending in pitch and volume. Call is a strident, explosive, 'kau'.

Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (52)...)

Crimson-winged Woodpecker (Picus puniceus) [XC158694]
by Yong Ding Li from Taman Negara National Park, Malaysia (call)

Crimson-winged Woodpecker (Picus puniceus) [XC205334]
by Mike Nelson from Paya Maga, Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia (call)

Nest
A a hollow of small dead limbs, from 8 - 20 m above theground in a large tree or palm.

Subspecies
Forms superspecies with Lesser Yellownape (Picus chlorolophus). Separated altitudinally in small area of overlap.

Proposed subspecies continentis (Malay Peninsula) merely averages slightly larger.

The following 3 subspecies are recognised:

observandus (Hartert, 1896) - Southern Myanmar (southern Tenasserim) and peninsular Thailand south to Sumatra (including Bangka) and Borneo.
soligae Meyer de Schauensee & Ripley, 1940 - Nias I (off north-western Sumatra).
puniceus Horsfield, 1821 - Java.

Similar Species
Checker-throated Woodpecker (Chrysophlegma mentale) which has a checkered throat, chestnut around the neck and breast but lacks chestnut on the crown.

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for Crimson-winged Woodpecker (Picus puniceus) - 10 files

More Information

BirdLife International

For more information about the Crimson-winged Woodpecker see... Show Articles

BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

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