Wildlifeof Singapore
White-bellied Woodpecker
Picidae
Photo: desertnaturalist · CC BY 4.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Dryocopus javensis
Basic stats
Diet
Insects, mainly ants and grubs from under bark; some fruit
Habitat
Evergreen forest; nests in large dead trees, often beside rivers
Range
Tropical Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia
Clutch size
2 white eggs
Size
40–48cm
Weight
197–350g
The white-bellied woodpecker, or great black woodpecker, is among the largest Asian woodpeckers, 40–48 cm long and 197–350 g, behind only the great slaty and black woodpeckers in size. It is closely related to the northern black woodpecker and the North American pileated woodpecker. It has 14 subspecies, and many of its island forms are endangered, some extinct. Populations differ in the extent of white (Wikipedia, general species account).
It inhabits evergreen forests in the tropical Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia and nests in large dead trees, often beside rivers. Its drumming and calls are louder than those of smaller woodpeckers, from a short sharp kuk to more intoned kyuk, kew and kee-yow. Solitary adults may spend an hour foraging at one suitable tree (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What does the White-bellied Woodpecker eat?
- Insects, mainly ants and grubs from under bark; some fruit
- What habitat does the White-bellied Woodpecker live in?
- Evergreen forest; nests in large dead trees, often beside rivers
- Where is the White-bellied Woodpecker found?
- Tropical Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia
- How many eggs does the White-bellied Woodpecker lay?
- 2 white eggs
- How big is the White-bellied Woodpecker?
- 40–48cm
- How much does the White-bellied Woodpecker weigh?
- 197–350g