Wildlifeof Malaysia
Bay Woodpecker
Barbets & Woodpeckers
Photo: (c) Rejoice Gassah, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY (May be cropped or resized)
Blythipicus pyrrhotis
Basic stats
Diet
Ants, termites and wood-boring beetles; occasionally berries
Habitat
Subtropical or tropical moist lowland and montane forest; forages 3–4m up on trunks, snags and bamboo; nests 1–4m up
Range
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam
Size
26.5–30cm
Weight
126–170g
The bay woodpecker is a mid-size woodpecker 26.5–30 cm long and weighing 126–170 g. Males have a brown crown, a short crest and nape with streaking and a pale brown forehead, while females have a shorter bill than males and a pale head without red on the neck. Birds use crest-raising and wing-flicking displays when calling for a mate (Wikipedia, general species account).
Most foraging is 3–4 m up on trunks, rotting snags, logs, saplings, vines and bamboo. The diet is insects such as ants, termites and wood-boring beetles, with an occasional berry. Birds do not forage near other bay woodpeckers but keep loose contact with their partners, and both sexes dig a low nest hole, 1–4 m up, in live or dead wood; the parents share incubation and feeding of the brood (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What does the Bay Woodpecker eat?
- Ants, termites and wood-boring beetles; occasionally berries
- What habitat does the Bay Woodpecker live in?
- Subtropical or tropical moist lowland and montane forest; forages 3–4m up on trunks, snags and bamboo; nests 1–4m up
- Where is the Bay Woodpecker found?
- Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam
- How big is the Bay Woodpecker?
- 26.5–30cm
- How much does the Bay Woodpecker weigh?
- 126–170g