Photo © by Alok Tewari
Dwarahat, Alt. 5000 ft., Dist. Almora, Uttarakhand Himalayas, India, 18 November 2019
Includes: Sunda Yellownape
- Picus chlorolophus
Identification
25–28 cm (10-11 in)
- upperparts green: brighter on the mantle and upper tail coverts
- subauricular stripe white; white may extend from here to the lores, around the eye and the chin
- patch from above ear extending up to meet the crest red
- neck and breast green (duller)
- nape bright yellow, tufted
- wing with rufous outer feather webs, inner webs black with large white patches (gives appearance of bars)
- belly whitish with fine green bars
- rump and tail blackish
- bill with dark upper mandible. Basal part of dark lower mandible yellowish
Males have a red moustachial stripe below the white subauricular stripe. This may itself be bordered below by more white. Red patch at base of forehead of variable extent.
Females lack the moustachial and forehead red. Young birds are duller than the female.
Distribution
Asia: found in China, Tibet, Nepal, India, Eastern and Western Himalayas, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan
Southeast Asia: Indochina, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, Greater Sundas and Sumatra.
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Dwarahat, Alt. 5000 ft., Dist. Almora, Uttarakhand Himalayas, India, 17 November 2019
Taxonomy
Subspecies rodgeri and vanheysti may be split as "Sunda Yellownape", P. rodgeri due to distinct morphology [5]
Subspecies
Clements recognises the following subspecies [1]:
- P. c. chlorolophus: Eastern Nepal to Burma and northern Vietnam
- P. c. simlae: Northern India (Himachal Pradesh) to western Nepal
- P. c. annamensis: South-eastern Thailand to southern Vietnam
- P. c. chlorigaster: Peninsula India
- P. c. wellsi: Sri Lanka
- P. c. citrinocristatus: Northern Vietnam (Tonkin) and south-eastern China (Fujian)
- P. c. longipennis: Hainan Island (southern China)
- P. c. rodgeri: "Sunda Yellownape". Highlands of western Malaysia
- P. c. vanheysti: "Sunda Yellownape". Highlands of Sumatra
vanheysti is not recognised by all authorities[2].
Habitat
High altitude broadleaved, deciduous forest up to 1,800 meters in elevation.
Behaviour
Breeding
It nests in a tree hole, which is excavated by both adults. The clutch consists of 2-4 white eggs.
Diet
Their main diet consists of ants, beetles and larvae.
Vocalisation
Recording by Alok Tewari
Sat Tal Forest, Alt. 5500ft., Uttarakhand Himalayas, India, April-2017
Call given by a male sitting on top of a dry tree just after sunset. After a while he was joined by his mate and both flew away.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved October 2015)
- Wikipedia
- Eaton, JA, B van Balen, NW Brickle, FE Rheindt 2021. Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago (Greater Sundas and Wallacea), Second Edition. Lynx Editions. ISBN978-84-16728-44-2
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Lesser Yellownape. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Lesser_Yellownape
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
