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Photo: J.M.Garg / CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Least Concern

White-naped Woodpecker

Chrysocolaptes festivus

White-naped Woodpecker (Chrysocolaptes festivus) — Woodpeckers & Toucans of South & Southeast Asia.

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The White-naped Woodpecker (Chrysocolaptes festivus) is a member of the Picidae family found in South & Southeast Asia. Adults weigh 213 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

LC Least Concern

Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.

Where it fits

  1. Class Aves
  2. Order Piciformes
  3. Family Picidae Woodpeckers
  4. Genus Chrysocolaptes
  5. Species festivus

Where it lives

India and Sri Lanka

Quick facts

Weight
213 g
Family
Picidae
Order
Piciformes
Habitat
Woodland

How to identify

Similar birds

Biology & behaviour

Diet

The White-naped Woodpecker is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.

Behaviour

A bird of semi-open woodland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.

Migration

The White-naped Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.

The White-naped Woodpecker (Chrysocolaptes festivus) belongs to the Picidae family of the order Piciformes. It is found across South & Southeast Asia. Its distribution covers OR India and Sri Lanka.

It is a large bird. Adults weighs around 213 g, with a wing length of about 15.3 cm and a tail of around 8 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 1.7 million km².

Songs & calls

White-naped Woodpecker — Call

Recorded by Nosherwan Sethna Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How big is the White-naped Woodpecker?

The White-naped Woodpecker is a large bird that weighs around 213 g.

Where does the White-naped Woodpecker live?

The White-naped Woodpecker is found across South & Southeast Asia with a range covering OR India and Sri Lanka, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.

What family does the White-naped Woodpecker belong to?

The White-naped Woodpecker (Chrysocolaptes festivus) belongs to the Picidae family, in the order Piciformes.

What does the White-naped Woodpecker eat?

The White-naped Woodpecker is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.

Does the White-naped Woodpecker migrate?

The White-naped Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.

Is the White-naped 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 White-naped Woodpecker make?

1 real field recording of the White-naped Woodpecker — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.

How large is the White-naped Woodpecker's range?

The White-naped Woodpecker has a mapped global range of about 1.7 million km².

Conservation

Least Concern

Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.

How to help birds

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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.

3 min read

Meet the Picidae

A field guide to the Picidae family — 239 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.

1 min read

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