Crimson-naped Woodpecker
Dryobates cathpharius
赤胸啄木鸟
Introduction
This small woodpecker of the family Picidae inhabits the subtropical and tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia. It occupies both moist lowland forests and moist montane forests across its range, which spans from Nepal through northeastern India to parts of China and Myanmar. Countries in its range include Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, and Nepal. Previously considered conspecific with the necklaced woodpecker, molecular analysis places it close to the lesser spotted woodpecker and the downy woodpecker. Three subspecies are recognized, each occupying distinct geographic regions across the species' range.
Description
The mantle, back, and wings are black with some white spotting and light barring on the wings, plus one larger white patch. The upper tail is black with white barring on the outer feathers, while the underside is barred black and white. The chin and throat are white, and the central breast is red. The rest of the breast and belly are white or buff, streaked with black, with a varying amount of red or pink near the vent. The forehead is white and the crown black. Males have a red patch on the nape. A black streak extends from the malar region to the nape and continues to the sides of the chest.
Identification
Distinguished from the closely related necklaced woodpecker by various amounts of red on the head and breast, as well as differences in size and other features. The red central breast patch, white forehead, black crown, and the black malar streak extending to the nape and chest sides are key field marks. Males can be identified by the red nape patch, which females lack. The white spotting and barring on otherwise black wings, along with the streaked underparts, help separate this species in the field.
Distribution & Habitat
Found in Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, and Nepal, inhabiting subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. Three subspecies occupy distinct ranges: the nominate subspecies occurs from western and central Nepal to Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India; another subspecies is found in southeastern Tibet; and a third ranges across Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and western Myanmar.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Picidae
- Genus
- Dryobates
- eBird Code
- crbwoo6
Subspecies (3)
-
Dryobates cathpharius cathpharius
eastern Himalayas (Nepal to northern Assam)
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Dryobates cathpharius ludlowi
southeastern Tibet
-
Dryobates cathpharius pyrrhothorax
hills south of Brahmaputra River and adjacent northern Myanmar
Data Sources
CBR Notes: 中文名由赤胸啄木鸟改为红枕啄木鸟，英文名由Crimson-breasted Woodpecker改为Crimson-naped Woodpecker
Species description from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Bird images and sounds sourced from GBIF, contributed by citizen scientists worldwide under Creative Commons licenses.
Taxonomy data from AviList 2025.