Lesser yellownape facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lesser yellownape |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Picus
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| Species: |
chlorolophus
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The lesser yellownape (Picus chlorolophus) is a colorful type of woodpecker. You can find these birds living in many warm, tropical parts of Asia. They are common in places like the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Their home stretches from India, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka all the way east to Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Scientists have learned a lot about these woodpeckers from studying them in India.
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Where Lesser Yellownapes Live and How They Eat
These woodpeckers love to live in jungles and forests. They make their nests inside holes in trees. A female lesser yellownape usually lays two to four white eggs.
Like other woodpeckers, the lesser yellownape has special features that help it live in trees. It has a strong, pointed beak. This beak helps it peck into wood. Its tail is stiff and strong. This tail acts like a prop, helping the bird lean against tree trunks.
The lesser yellownape also has unique feet. They are called "zygodactyl" feet, which means "yoked" feet. This means two of its toes point forward, and two point backward. This helps the bird grip tree bark very well. It also has a long tongue. The bird can quickly shoot its tongue out to catch insects hiding in the wood.
What Lesser Yellownapes Look Like
The lesser yellownape is a fairly large bird. It grows to be about 27 centimeters (about 10.5 inches) long. It has the typical shape of a woodpecker.
Its upper body is mostly green. But it has a bright yellow patch of feathers on the back of its neck, called a nape. Its neck and chest are also green. The belly is whitish with thin green stripes. The lower back and tail feathers are blackish.
Differences Between Males and Females
The adult male lesser yellownape has a green head. Its throat is white. Males have red markings above their eyes and above the yellow nape. They also have red stripes on their "mustache" area, which are called moustachial stripes.
Female lesser yellownapes look a bit different. They only have a red patch above their ear feathers. Young birds look similar to the females, but their colors are not as bright. In some parts of India, like the peninsula, these woodpeckers have a greyer head.
Types of Lesser Yellownapes
Scientists have found three main types, or subspecies, of the lesser yellownape:
- chloropus - This type lives in the Himalayan mountains.
- chlorigaster - This type is found in peninsular India.
- wellsi - This type lives on the island of Sri Lanka.
