Avian Percussionists: The Drumming Woodpeckers of Uttarakhand
Photo StoryPublished : May 31, 2024Updated : Jun 18, 2024
With twenty woodpecker species, Uttarakhand stands out as one of the most woodpecker-diverse states in India. The Corbett-Rajaji landscape alone accounts for half of all woodpecker species in the country
Text by: Tarun Menon
With twenty woodpecker species, Uttarakhand stands out as one of the most woodpecker-diverse states in India. The Corbett-Rajaji landscape alone accounts for half of all woodpecker species in the country
If the sounds of the forest were an orchestra, the woodpecker would be the main percussionist. A discerning observer in woodlands across the world can recognise the rhythmic drum beat of a woodpecker’s bill against wood. Unless the “discerning observer” lives in Australia or Madagascar, where woodpeckers are surprisingly absent. Woodpeckers belong to the Picidae family, which includes piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. They are specifically adapted to life on tree trunks. Their short, sturdy legs with strong claws are arranged in a zygodactyl fashion. This means two toes face forwards and two backwards, allowing the woodpecker to efficiently grasp the bark of trees and hop vertically up and down their trunks. Their strong, chisel-like beaks, shock-absorbing skulls, and sturdy neck muscles enable them to drill into tree bark with amazing force to extract insects (with a long, sticky tongue), excavate nests, and advertise territories. Apart from their fascinating biology, woodpeckers are ecosystem engineers, modifying their environment and providing resources to numerous other species. Woodpeckers usually excavate new nest cavities every year; abandoned ones from the previous seasons then become sought-after real estate for species like tits, nuthatches, owls, and even small mammals like squirrels. Additionally, woodpeckers also expose tree trunk surfaces for foraging by other species.
Birds generally do not believe in our arbitrary political boundaries, but if one tried to add up the number of woodpeckers in every state of India, Uttarakhand would arguably be at the top (West Bengal is a close contender). In my time studying woodpeckers in Uttarakhand, I can boast of having seen all 20 species of woodpeckers regularly reported from Uttarakhand and, interestingly, 17 of them can be seen in the sub-Himalayan region around Corbett Tiger Reserve. Uttarakhand is in a unique geographical position, at the meeting point of the eastern Himalayas, western Himalayas and the Gangetic plains which contributes to the high diversity of not just woodpeckers but many forms of flora and fauna.
(1) The greater yellownape (Chrysophlegma flavinucha) and (2) the lesser yellownape (Picus chlorolophus) are two species that look superficially similar with a yellow nape and largely green body. However, the similarity ends there. They do not share the same genus (suggestive of different evolutionary lineage), and as the names suggest, the former is almost double in size. Given its considerable size (150-200 grams!) and preference for large trees, our research has shown that a healthy population of greater yellownapes is a good indicator of forest quality and general bird diversity. The lesser yellownape shows distinctive variation across its range — individuals in peninsular India have a completely red crown as opposed to the smaller patch of red seen on individuals from Uttarakhand. Both species have a large range that extends into Southeast Asia and Indonesia, but only the lesser yellownape is found in the Western Ghats. Photos: Tarun Menon (1), Arpan Saha (2)
The rufous-bellied woodpecker (Dendrocopos hyperythrus) is a curious bird that, although not technically a sapsucker (i.e., woodpeckers of the genus Sphyrapicus), creates sap wells in trees and feeds on the liquid inside. While walking through the Uttarakhand hills, I often saw trees like Rhododendron arboreum and Toona ciliata completely pockmarked by sap wells, which are an important food source for other birds like sibias, sunbirds, and warblers. Like the greater yellownape, the rufous-bellied woodpecker prefers dense broadleaved forests and is a good indicator species. Photo: Arpan Saha
Found largely in the central and western Himalayas (with a few records further west in the Hindu Kush mountains), (1) the brown-fronted woodpecker (Dendrocoptes auriceps) and (2) the Himalayan woodpecker (Dendrocopos himalayensis) are commonly seen in the oak-pine forests of Uttarakhand. While the brown-fronted woodpecker is mostly seen between 900 to 2,200 m above sea level, the Himalayan woodpecker prefers higher elevations, between 1,600 and 3,000 m. During the harsh winters at higher elevations, when insects are scarce, I have observed both species feeding on pine seeds, oak acorns, and rhododendron nectar. Photos: Arpan Saha (1), Tarun Menon (2)
India is home to two species of pygmy woodpeckers: (1) the brown-capped pygmy woodpecker (Yungipicus nanus) and (2) the grey-capped pygmy woodpecker (Yungipicus canicapillus) and, as the name suggests, they are both small versions of the Dendrocopus woodpeckers. In Uttarakhand both can be seen, which makes identification tricky for beginner birdwatchers. However, their eyes are a dead giveaway —note the pale iris of the brown-capped pygmy woodpecker on the left versus the darker iris of the grey-capped pygmy woodpecker on the right. Photos: Saurabh Sawant
Another group of primarily green woodpeckers are (1&2) the scaly-bellied woodpecker (Picus squamatus), (3&4) grey-headed woodpecker (Picus canus) and (5&6) the streak-throated woodpecker (Picus xanthopygaeus). All three species are frequently seen feeding on the ground, with ants and termites being their preferred delicacy. Additionally, they all show similarities in their sexual dimorphism (difference between male and female). The forehead and crown are characteristically red in males and greyish-black in females. Their distribution is, however, quite different. The scaly-bellied woodpecker is found in the central and western Himalayas (extending into some parts of the Hindu Kush mountains and the hills of Balochistan), while the grey-headed woodpecker is found across Eurasia, throughout the Himalayas and into east and Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, the streak-breasted woodpecker is found across the hills of peninsular India, the Himalayan foothills, and into Southeast Asia. Photos: Dhritiman Mukherjee (1,2), Arpan Saha (3), Tarun Menon (4,6), Saurabh Sawant (5)
One of the most awe-inspiring birds I have seen is the great slaty woodpecker (Mulleripicus pulverulentus), the largest extant (living) woodpecker in the world. The only species of comparable size are/were the ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) of the southern USA and the imperial woodpecker (Campephilus imperialis) of Mexico, both critically endangered and probably extinct. The great slaty woodpecker is vulnerable, too, and has lost nearly 90 per cent of its population in the last 100 years due to deforestation. The mature sal forests around Corbett, Rajaji and Dudhwa national parks are possibly the best forests to see this bird in India. This species’ range extends into Northeast India, Southeast Asia and the islands of Borneo, Java and Palawan and is known to generally prefer old-growth mature forests. As the photos above show, they are also known to live in noisy (joint) family groups, with their cackles echoing through the forest. Photos: Hemant Sawant
From the largest woodpecker in Uttarakhand to the smallest. The speckled piculet (Picumnus innominatus) is almost 50 times lighter than the great slaty woodpecker. Its high-pitched call does not echo through the forest and is, in fact, barely audible. With age, we lose our ability to hear high-pitched sounds, something I first learnt while birding with a group that included older birdwatchers. As a novice, I asked a senior birder to help me identify a call I was hearing, but I could not get them to hear it. They then noticed that most of the youngsters (at the time) were able to hear what I was indicating, and suggested we go home and check the call of the speckled piculet. The senior birdwatcher was dead right, and I was impressed that they had identified a bird without seeing or hearing it. Photo: Tarun Menon
The woodpeckers with probably the coolest name have to be the flamebacks. They get their name from the bright red forehead, crown, and impressive mohawk-like crest seen in males. (1) The greater flameback (Chrysocolaptes guttacristatus) is the largest flameback and can be identified by its large bill and double moustache. (2) The Himalayan flameback (Dinopium shorii) is smaller and is one of few woodpeckers that has only three toes (instead of four). The smallest flameback is the black-rumped flameback (Dinopium benghalense), a highly adaptable species, making it the country’s most common and widespread woodpecker. Photos: Saurabh Sawant (1,3), Tarun Menon (2)
The rufous woodpecker (Micropternus brachyurus) is unique as it is the only species in its genus. A well-known behaviour of this species is its tendency to build its nest inside the often-active nests of acrobat ants (Crematogaster). How or why these venomous ants allow the woodpecker to nest inside or why the woodpecker does not chase away the ants/eat them up is still unknown. Some birders speculate that the ants and the woodpeckers may have a symbiotic relationship, but the mystery is still far from solved. Photo: Saurabh Sawant
About the contributor
Tarun Menon
is an avid naturalist, birdwatcher and a PhD student at the Indian Institute of Science. His interests lie in understanding the behaviour and adaptations of mountain birds.
