The Japanese pygmy woodpecker or pygmy woodpecker (''Yungipicus kizuki'') is a species of woodpecker. It is found in coniferous and deciduous forests in Russia, China, Korea and Japan. This species has also been placed in the genus ''

Dendrocopos ''Dendrocopos'' is a widespread genus of woodpeckers from Asia, Europe and Northern Africa. The species range from the Philippines to the British Isles. Taxonomy The genus ''Dendrocopos'' was introduced in 1816 by the German naturalist Carl Lud ...

'' or ''

Picoides ''Picoides'' is a genus of woodpeckers (family Picidae) that are native to Eurasia and North America, commonly known as three-toed woodpeckers. Taxonomy The genus ''Picoides'' was introduced by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépè ...

''. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a least-concern species.

Taxonomy

This species was described by Temminck in 1836. The

IOC World Bird List ''Birds of the World: Recommended English Names'' is a paperback book, written by Frank Gill and Minturn Wright on behalf of the International Ornithologists' Union. The book is an attempt to produce a standardized set of English names for all b ...

recognizes the following subspecies: ''Yungipicus kizuki permutatus'', ''Y. k. seebohmi'', ''Y. k. nippon'', ''Y. k. shikokuensis'', ''Y. k. kizuki'' (the nominate subspecies), ''Y. k. matsudairai'', ''Y. k. kotataki'', ''Y. k. amamii'', ''Y. k. nigrescens'' and ''Y. k. orii''. The species has previously been placed in genera ''

'' and ''

''.

Description

The Japanese pygmy woodpecker is long. The crown is grey-brown. A white

supercilium The supercilium is a plumage feature found on the heads of some bird species. It is a stripe which runs from the base of the bird's beak above its eye, finishing somewhere towards the rear of the bird's head.Dunn and Alderfer (2006), p. 10 Also ...

starts above the eye and continues to the neck and breast. The ear coverts are brown, and there are a white moustachial stripe and a grey-brown malar stripe. The chin and throat are white. The mantle and back are dark brown, with white bars. The upperwing coverts and

flight feather Flight feathers (''Pennae volatus'') are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired pennaceous feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges (), singular remex (), while those on the tail ...

s are brownish-black and have white bars. The breast has a brownish suffusion. The breast, flank and belly have variable streaks. The tail is blackish, with white bars on its outer feathers. The iris is chestnut, the beak is blackish and the legs are grey. The male has a small red mark on the side of its nape, and the female does not. The female's beak, wings and tail are longer than the male's. The juvenile bird's throat is often streaked. The bird becomes smaller and darker from the north of its range to the south. It's call is a high "tsi-tsi-tsi" and it has a quick drum.

Distribution and habitat

This woodpecker is found in Korea, northeastern China, southeastern Siberia, Sakhalin, Japan and the Ryukyu Islands. It occurs up to in elevation, and its habitat consists of many types of coniferous and deciduous forests, including lowland, upland and riverine forests, and also parks and gardens.

Behaviour

The Japanese pygmy woodpecker occurs in pairs and

mixed-species foraging flock A mixed-species feeding flock, also termed a mixed-species foraging flock, mixed hunting party or informally bird wave, is a flock of usually insectivorous birds of different species that join each other and move together while foraging. These ar ...

s, searching on trees for invertebrates, such as spiders, caterpillars, ants and aphids, and berries. Its calls are ''khit'' and ''kzz'' notes, and it

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

weakly in short bursts. Breeding starts in March in southern Japan and in late May in northern Japan. A nest hole is excavated in a dead branch. The eggs are white, measuring about by . Five to seven white eggs are laid and then incubated for 12 to 14 days. Fledging occurs after three weeks.

Status

The species has a large range and a stable population, so the IUCN has assessed it as a least-concern species.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q27074882

Japanese pygmy woodpecker The Japanese pygmy woodpecker or pygmy woodpecker (''Yungipicus kizuki'') is a species of woodpecker. It is found in coniferous and deciduous forests in Russia, China, Korea and Japan. This species has also been placed in the genus ''Dendrocopos' ...

Birds of Japan Birds of Korea Birds of Manchuria

Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN