Basic Information
Scientific classification
- Chinese name: Brown Woodpecker
- Scientific name: Sasia abnormis, Rufous piculet
- Classification: Climbing birds
- Family and genus: Order Vulpecula, Family Woodpeckers, Genus *Brown Woodpecker*
Vital signs data
- Body length: 8-9 cm
- Weight: 11-12g
- Lifespan: No verification data available.
Significant features
The forehead is golden yellow, and the eyebrow lines are white, which are very striking against the dark head.
Distribution and Habitat
The brown woodpecker is distributed in southwestern, southern and southeastern Yunnan, Rongjiang and Xinhua in Guizhou and Yaoshan in Guangxi within China; outside China, it is distributed in Sikkim, Nepal, Assam in India, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Brown woodpeckers mainly inhabit broad-leaved forests, bamboo forests, sparse forests at forest edges, shrublands, and reed beds on riverbanks in low mountains and plains below 2000m altitude.
Appearance
The male Brown Woodpecker has a golden-yellow forehead, chestnut-brown forehead, and olive-green crown and nape tinged with brown. The supercilium is white, broad, and short, running from above the eye to the ear coverts. The lores are dark grey, and the facial bristles are black. The sides of the head, nape, and upper back are chestnut-brown, while the back, shoulders, and upper wing surfaces are olive-green. The back and shoulders are slightly tinged with brown, and the rump is pure brown. The uppertail coverts and tail are black, the wing coverts are olive-green, and the wing edges are brownish-white. The primary flight feathers are brown with white edges, the secondary flight feathers are also brown with olive-yellow edges, and the inner secondary flight feathers are brownish-olive. The underparts, from the chin to the undertail coverts, are all dark brown, sometimes paler on the chin.
The female brown woodpecker is similar to the male, but its forehead and front are brown instead of golden.
The brown woodpecker has red irises and dark red bare skin around its eyes. Its beak is pale black, lighter at the tip. Its tarsi and toes are red, and its claws are flesh-colored.
Size measurements: Weight ♂ 11g, ♀ 12g; Body length ♂ 80.5mm, ♀ 90mm; Bill length ♂ 13mm, ♀ 12mm; Wing length ♂ 52mm, ♀ 54mm; Tail length 21mm; Tarsus length 11-13mm.
Detailed introduction
The brown woodpecker, scientifically known as *Sasia abnormis*, also called *Rufous piculet*, has three subspecies.
The brown woodpecker is a resident bird, usually solitary, often spiraling up the trunks of small trees in bushes, and sometimes perching on small trees and shrubs like other birds. It forages by climbing trees, and sometimes also on the ground. Its diet consists mainly of ants and various insects, but it also eats worms and other small animals.
The brown woodpecker's breeding season is from April to June. They nest in tree cavities. Each clutch contains 3-4 white, oval eggs, measuring 14-17mm × 12-13mm. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs; the chicks are altricial.
Listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012 ver 3.1.
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