Yellow-crowned Woodpecker Leiopicus mahrattensis Scientific name definitions

17–18 cm; 28–46 g. Male has golden-yellow forehead and forecrown, becoming red on hindcrown and nape, dark brown hindneck; white sides of head tinged or streaked brownish below eye and on ear-coverts; rich brown rear malar stripe continuing upwards behind ear-coverts and down on to upper breast side ; white chin and throat sometimes tinged brown; blackish-brown or black upperparts, feathers broadly edged white near tips, rump largely white; white uppertail-coverts with black central wedge; wing-coverts tipped white, flight-feathers barred white; uppertail dark brown-black, fully barred white; whitish below, streaked brown or blackish, streaks often lacking or indistinct in breast centre but broad on breast sides and upper flanks, belly centre orange-red; long bill fairly straight, slightly chisel-tipped, slate-grey to horn, paler base of lower mandible; iris brown to red-brown; legs blue-grey. Distinguished from similar L. auriceps by less barred upperparts, fainter incomplete malar, fully barred tail, orange belly patch, and white undertail-coverts. Female has yellowish crown with no red or with just few red tips, brownish nape. Juvenile duller than adult, more brownish above, with streaks below more diffuse, belly pinker, eyes brown, bill usually paler, male with some orange-red on crown and often nape, female with a few orange-red feathers in central crown. Race <em>pallescens</em> is paler than nominate, has paler head markings, larger white markings above , rump sometimes completely white, streaks below very light brown.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Dry to very dry open woodland and desert scrub, including deciduous woodland, second growth, riverine forest, wild olive (Olea cuspidata) woodland, plantations, and trees bordering roadsides or watercourses; also found in cultivations and gardens. Visits remnant semi-evergreen patches near coast in W India. Shows distinct preference for the abundant big Euphorbia antiquorum trees in dry districts of Sri Lanka. Below 1000 m in most of range; only occasionally higher, to 1700 m in Nepal, to 2000 m in S India.

None recorded.

Bark-dwelling insects, also fruits and nectar. In particular, caterpillars (Geometridae), grubs (Elateridae, Curculionidae, Buprestidae) and dragonflies (Odonata) reported. Forages singly or in pairs, members of which keep in loose vocal contact; also joins mixed-species flocks. Stays mostly in crown of trees and on trunks, comes down to the ground rarely; regularly clings upside-down . Excavates bark and dead wood for insect larvae; observed pecking holes in dry pods of Cassia fistula to extract insect larvae.

Feeble “peek”  or sharp “click, click”, also “click-r-r-r-r”, “kik-kik-kik-r-r-r-r-h”. Drums.

Feb–Jul, also Dec, in Indian Subcontinent; Feb–Apr in SE Asia. Nest-hole excavated at 1–10 m in dead section of live tree, often on underside of a sloping branch; usurpation of hole by Dinopium benghalense recorded. Clutch 3 eggs; both parents incubate and both feed chicks; incubation period 13 days, fledging period not documented; fledglings may stay with parents until onset of next breeding cycle.

Not globally threatened. Frequent in Pakistan, locally common in India, uncommon in Nepal, common in SE Sri Lanka; no recent records from Bangladesh; rare to uncommon in SE Asia. Occurs in several protected areas, e.g. Keoladeo Ghana, Ranthambore and Mudumalai National Parks and Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary (India) and Uda Walawe, Yala and Bundala National Parks (Sri Lanka).