Photo: Lip Kee Yap / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Checker-throated Woodpecker
Chrysophlegma mentale
Checker-throated Woodpecker (Chrysophlegma mentale) — Woodpeckers & Toucans of South & Southeast Asia.
Found across 6 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Checker-throated Woodpecker (Chrysophlegma mentale) is a member of the Picidae family found in South & Southeast Asia. Adults weigh 99.7 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Piciformes
- Family Picidae Woodpeckers
- Genus Chrysophlegma
- Species mentale
Quick facts
- Weight
- 99.7 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Picidae
- Order
- Piciformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Near Threatened
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Checker-throated Woodpecker is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Checker-throated Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Checker-throated Woodpecker (Chrysophlegma mentale) is a species of bird in the Picidae family, part of the order Piciformes. Its range spans South & Southeast Asia. Its distribution covers OR Malay Pen., Sumatra and Borneo.
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 99.7 g, with a wing length of about 13.4 cm and a tail of around 9.5 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 40,000 km² — a relatively restricted global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Checker-throated Woodpecker?
The Checker-throated Woodpecker is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 99.7 g.
Where does the Checker-throated Woodpecker live?
The Checker-throated Woodpecker is found across South & Southeast Asia with a range covering OR Malay Pen., Sumatra and Borneo, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Checker-throated Woodpecker belong to?
The Checker-throated Woodpecker (Chrysophlegma mentale) belongs to the Picidae family, in the order Piciformes.
What does the Checker-throated Woodpecker eat?
The Checker-throated Woodpecker is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Checker-throated Woodpecker migrate?
The Checker-throated Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Checker-throated Woodpecker endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Checker-throated Woodpecker make?
1 real field recording of the Checker-throated Woodpecker — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Checker-throated Woodpecker's range?
The Checker-throated Woodpecker has a mapped global range of about 40,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
Best Suet Feeders for Woodpeckers
How to choose a suet feeder for woodpeckers — the styles compared, why a tail prop helps, and how to keep starlings off. A decision framework with the woodpecker species in the Birbs encyclopedia.
Meet the Picidae
A field guide to the Picidae family — 239 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.