Basic Information
Scientific classification
- Chinese name: Star-headed Woodpecker
- Scientific name: Yungipicus canicapillus, Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker
- Classification: Climbing birds
- Family and genus: Order Piliformes, Family Pilidae, Genus *Pygmy woodpecker*
Vital signs data
- Body length: 14-17 cm
- Weight: 20-30g
- Lifespan: No verification data available.
Significant features
Distribution and Habitat
The Star-headed Woodpecker is distributed within China in southeastern Heilongjiang, Changbai Mountain in Jilin, southern Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Gansu, Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, Zhejiang, Hunan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Taiwan, and Hainan Island. Outside of China, it is found in India, Myanmar, the Malay Peninsula, and Indonesia.
The Star-headed Woodpecker mainly inhabits broad-leaved forests, mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests, and coniferous forests in mountainous and plain areas. It also appears in mixed forests and secondary forests, and even in scattered trees near villages and in farmland. Its distribution altitude can reach over 2500 meters.
Appearance
The male Star-headed Woodpecker has a dark grey or greyish-brown forehead and crown, sometimes tinged with pale brownish-gray. Its nasal feathers and lores are greyish-white. The supercilium is broad and white, extending from the upper edge behind the eye to the side of the neck, forming a white patch. There is a small red spot on each side of the nape. The ear coverts are pale brownish-gray. The nape, hindneck, upper back, and shoulders are black; the lower back and rump are white with black horizontal bars; the upper tail coverts and central tail feathers are black, while the outer tail feathers are greyish-white or brownish-white with black horizontal bars, some of which are indistinct; the wing coverts and flight feathers are black, with broad white tips on the median and greater coverts, and white spots on both the inner and outer reticulate webs of the flight feathers. The collar stripe is white or dark greyish-brown, and the sides of the head and neck are brownish-gray; there is a black patch behind the ear coverts. The cheeks and throat are white or greyish-white, and the rest of the underparts are greyish-white or pale brownish-white and pale brownish-yellow, covered with dark brown longitudinal stripes. The longitudinal stripes from the middle of the lower abdomen to the undertail coverts are fine and indistinct.
The female Star-headed Woodpecker is similar to the male, but lacks the red markings on the nape.
The Star-headed Woodpecker has a brownish-red or reddish-brown iris, a lead-gray or lead-brown beak, and grayish-black or pale greenish-brown feet.
Size measurements: Weight: ♂ 27-30 g, ♀ 20-30 g; Body length: ♂ 140-163 mm, ♀ 143-175 mm; Bill length: ♂ 16-19 mm, ♀ 16-21 mm; Wing length: ♂ 102-103 mm, ♀ 104-110 mm; Tail length: ♂ 55-69 mm, ♀ 65-68 mm; Tarsus length: ♂ 15-17 mm, ♀ 15-18 mm. (Note: ♂ male; ♀ female)
Detailed introduction
The Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, scientifically known as Yungipicus canicapillus, has 15 subspecies.
The Star-headed Woodpecker is usually solitary or in pairs, only forming family groups after nesting and while raising its chicks. It primarily forages and lives in the upper parts of trees, occasionally also feeding on fallen logs and stubble. Its flight is rapid, proceeding in a wave-like pattern. Its diet consists mainly of longhorn beetles, bark beetles, ants, stink bugs, leaf beetles, and other Coleoptera and Lepidoptera insects, occasionally also consuming plant fruits and seeds. Its call is a sharp, trilling sound.
The breeding season for the Star-headed Woodpecker is from April to June. They begin pairing and chasing each other in mid-to-late March, calling as they fly. They nest in the decaying heartwood of tree trunks, at a relatively high elevation, typically 3-15 meters above the ground. Both parents work together to build the nest. The entrance is round, usually 4.2-4.5 cm in diameter, with an inner diameter of 11-12 cm, and no lining inside. Each clutch contains 4-5 white, oval eggs, measuring 18-21 mm × 13-15 mm. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs, which last for 12-13 days. The chicks are altricial.
It is listed in the "List of Terrestrial Wild Animals of Beneficial or Important Economic and Scientific Research Value under State Protection" issued by the State Forestry Administration of China on August 1, 2000.
Listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012 ver 3.1.
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