Wildlifeof Vietnam
Bay Woodpecker
Barbets & Woodpeckers
Photo: (c) Rejoice Gassah, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Blythipicus pyrrhotis
Rare visitor: recorded only occasionally in this country
Basic stats
Diet
Ants, termites and wood-boring beetles; occasionally berries
Habitat
Subtropical or tropical moist forest from 50m to 2,750m; nests low, 1–4m, in live or dead wood
Range
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam
Size
26.5–30cm
Weight
126–170g
The bay woodpecker is a mid-sized woodpecker, 26.5 to 30cm long and weighing 126 to 170g. Males can be told by a brown crown, a short crest and streaked nape, and a pale brown forehead, while females have a shorter bill and a pale head with no red on the neck. It uses crest-raising and wing-flicking displays when calling for a mate (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is found in a range of altitudes from as low as 50m to 2,750m, and does most of its foraging 3 to 4m above the surface on trunks, rotting snags, logs, saplings, vines and bamboo. Its diet is insects such as ants, termites and wood-boring beetles, with some berries. Both sexes dig a low nest hole and share incubation and feeding. It is found in Bhutan and across the region.
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 forest from 50m to 2,750m; nests low, 1–4m, in live or dead wood
- Where is the Bay Woodpecker found?
- Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, 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