Stripe-breasted woodpecker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stripe-breasted woodpecker |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Dendrocopos
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| Species: |
atratus
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| Synonyms | |
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Dryobates atratus |
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The stripe-breasted woodpecker (Dendrocopos atratus) is a cool bird that lives in the forests of Southeast Asia. It's a type of woodpecker, known for pecking on trees to find food. These birds have special markings on their chests that look like stripes! You can find them in warm, wet forests, often high up in the mountains.
About Its Name
Every animal has a scientific name, and the stripe-breasted woodpecker's is Dendrocopos atratus. A scientist named Edward Blyth first described this bird in 1849. He was a zoologist from England. He gave it a different first name back then, but later scientists decided it fit better in the Dendrocopos group.
What It Looks Like
This woodpecker is about 21 to 22 centimeters (about 8.5 inches) long. That's about the length of a standard pencil!
- Body: Its back is black with lots of white stripes. Its upper tail is black, but the outer feathers have some white marks.
- Head: Male woodpeckers have a red cap on their head, while females have a black one. Their face is whitish, with a black stripe that looks like a mustache. This stripe connects to another black stripe on the side of their chest.
- Underparts: The throat, chest, and belly are a yellowish-grey color, with bold black stripes. The feathers under its tail are red.
- Eyes and Beak: Its eyes are chestnut brown. Its beak is long, sharp, and grey.
- Legs and Feet: Its legs and feet are bluish-grey.
Young woodpeckers look a bit different. Their underparts are greyer, and the feathers under their tail can be pink or orange. Young males also have a duller red cap.
Where It Lives
The stripe-breasted woodpecker lives in southeastern Asia. You can find it from northeastern India all the way to Vietnam and a part of China called Yunnan.
It's not a super common bird, but its numbers seem to be steady. Because of this, the International Union for Conservation of Nature says it's a species of "least concern". This means it's not currently in danger of disappearing.
These woodpeckers mostly live in evergreen forests in the mountains. They especially like pine and oak trees. You might also see them at the edges of forests where trees lose their leaves, or in more open areas with scattered trees. They usually live at high altitudes, from about 800 to 2800 meters (about 2,600 to 9,200 feet) above sea level. Most often, they are found above 2000 meters (about 6,500 feet).
Life Cycle and Behavior
The stripe-breasted woodpecker eats insects. It loves ants and beetle larvae! It usually looks for food in the middle and upper parts of trees. You might see them foraging in pairs or in small family groups.
They start having babies around February in many places. In India, they breed from March to May, and in Myanmar, from April to May.
- Nests: They make their nests by digging a hole in a rotten tree stump or a tree, usually high off the ground.
- Eggs: A mother woodpecker usually lays four or five eggs.
- Parenting: Both the male and female woodpeckers help take care of the eggs. They have even been seen sitting on the eggs at the same time!
