Japanese woodpecker

Picus awokera

Photo by Koji Taji (Oriental Bird Images)

Common name:

Japanese woodpecker (en); pica-pau-japonês (pt); pic awokéra (fr); pito japonés (es); Japangrünspecht (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Piciformes

Family Picidae

Range:

This bird in endemic to Japan, being found from Honshu, south to Shikoku, Kyushu, Yakushima and Tanegashima. It is also present in the offshore islands of Tobishima, Awashima, Sado and Tsushima.

Size:

The Japanese woodpecker is 30 cm long and weighs 120-140 g.

Habitat:

These birds are found in woodland habitats, both in mixed and coniferous forests, at altitudes of 300-2000 m.

Diet:

They collect insects from the bark of the trees.

Breeding:

Like all woodpeckers, they make a hole in a tree where they nest. There the female lays 2-5 eggs which are incubated for 11-14 days. Both parents will feed the chicks and fledging takes place 18-30 days after hatching.

Conservation

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

Although the global population size has not been quantified, the species is reported to be fairly common across its considerably large breeding range. The species is not considered threatened at present.