Photo © by Alok Tewari
Dwarahat, Alt. 5000 ft., Dist. Almora, Uttarakhand Himalayas, India, 18 November 2019
- Picus chlorolophus
Identification
25–28 cm (10-11 in)
- Green upperparts
- Bright yellow tufted nape
- Green neck and breast
- Whitish belly with fine green bars
- Blackish rump and tail
Females have a red patch above the ear coverts. 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
There are 9 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: Highlands of western Malaysia
- P. c. vanheysti: 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
Listen in an external program
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
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Lesser Yellownape. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 22 November 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Lesser_Yellownape
External Links
