Alternative names: Himalayan Rufous Piculet (ochracea); Burmese Rufous Piculet (reichenowi)
- Sasia ochracea
Identification
9-10cm. A distinctive piculet.
- Rufous plumage
- Green upperparts with rufous rump
- White stripe behind eye
- Very short brownish-black tail
- Red eye with pinkish-red orbital skin
- Male with bright golden-yellow patch on forehead
Juveniles are greener and are less rufous-tinged above.
Similar species
Differs from Rufous Piculet by white stripe behind eye, rufous tones above and darker lower mandible.
Distribution
From northern India and Nepal east to Bhutan, Burma, Bangladesh, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Fairly common in parts of its range, uncommon in Nepal and India.
Taxonomy
Three subspecies recognized:
- S. o. reichenowi in southern Burma and southwest Thailand
- S. o. kinneari in extreme northern Vietnam and adjacent southern China (Yunnan, Guangxi)
- S. o. ochracea from northern India and Nepal east to Thailand and Vietnam
Habitat
Temperate forests and moist montanes. Often in bamboo and near water.
Recorded up to 2600m.
Behaviour
Feeds on ants, small bark beetles and spiders.
Usually seen singly, in pairs or in small groups. Also in mixed-species flocks.
Looks for food at low levels, rapidly moving through dense vegetation.
Breeding season from March to June in India and Nepal, from April to July in southeast Asia. The nest is excavated at a low level in a dead bamboo or in a small branch or tree stem. Lays 2-4 eggs.
A resident species.
References
- Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliot, and J Sargatal, eds. 2002. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 7: Jacamars to Woodpeckers. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334375
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) White-browed Piculet. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/White-browed_Piculet
