12 Different Species of Woodpecker Found in India

Woodpeckers are colorful members of the family Picidae that also include piculets and wrynecks. A group of woodpecker birds are called descent and they mostly feeds on insect, fruits, termite and nest in tree holes. There are 12 known species of woodpecker in India, listed below and the flameback or goldenback is the most common species of woodpecker found widely distributed in the Indian subcontinent.

Black-rumped Flameback

Black-rumped flameback is also known as lesser goldenback woodpecker with black throat and golden black rump, widely distributed in the Indian subcontinent. The lesser goldenback is the most common species of woodpecker found in India, commonly seen around the urban areas, open forest and cultivation.

Greater Flameback

The greater flameback is large species of flameback woodpecker, widely found in the Indian subcontinent from the foothills of the Himalayas to the Western Ghats. This greater flameback or goldenback species is similar looking like other flameback woodpeckers and feeds on invertebrates, nectar.

Rufous Woodpecker

Rufous woodpecker is a very beautiful dark brown shade bird, occurs through the forest of South India and feeds on particularly termites, ants and fruits. The medium-sized brown woodpecker nests on trees, particularly within the ant nest and forage in pairs on termite. Image source -wiki.

Common Flameback

Common Flameback species is another woodpecker from the family of Picidae, found in India, tropical mangrove forest, Indonesia and Singapore. The woodpecker is one of the four species of flamebacks, Widely distributed Southeast Asia.

White-bellied Woodpecker

The great black woodpecker is known as White-bellied woodpecker, A very beautiful black bird with red cap and white belly also one of the largest species of woodpecker. White-bellied Woodpecker usually found in evergreen forest of the Indian subcontinent, tropical area and Southeast Asia.

Yellow-crowned Woodpecker

Yellow-crowned woodpecker is a pied woodpecker found in the Indian subcontinent and one of the small woodpecker species. The small pied woodpecker also known as Mahratta woodpecker, heavily spotted on the back with white patches.

Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker

The brown-capped pygmy woodpecker known as Indian pygmy woodpecker, Is a very small woodpecker species of Indian woodpecker. Indian pygmy woodpecker has distinctive stripes, spot, patches and distributed in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

White-naped Woodpecker

The white-naped woodpecker is another flameback species with red crown and found in central, south India and also in and Sri Lanka. This flameback woodpecker bird is a breeder of the Indian Subcontinent and found in open wooded habitat all over the India.

Heart-spotted Woodpecker

The heart-spotted woodpecker from the family, found from the ranges in the Indian Himalayas and Southeast Asia. Heart-spotted woodpecker range extend into Bangladesh to Vietnam, forage in pairs around the Western Ghats and central forest of India.

Streak-throated Woodpecker

Streak-throated woodpecker is a lime-green colored bird with red cap and black moustache. The medium-sized, green woodpecker bird found in the Indian subcontinent, Not a common woodpecker of the jungle and can be found in Corbett National Park.

Lesser Yellownape

Lesser yellownape species of woodpecker is another green color bird with the bright yellow tufted nape and blackish tail. This species occurring in peninsular India and also a common breeder of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.

Speckled Piculet

The speckled piculet is a tiny species of woodpecker and also part of the family Picidae, found in the Indian subcontinent. Like other species of woodpeckers, The speckled piculet also live in forest, woodland habitats, rocky hillsides and feeds on ants and termites.