Andaman Woodpecker

Andaman Woodpecker Dryocopus hodgei

Etymology : 

• Dryocopus :  Greek word drus- tree ;  kopos – beating
• Hodgei : named after British naval officer S. Hodge (1792–1876) 

Distribution in India: Resident of Andaman & Nicobar Island, parts of West coast and East coast of India.

Description: Size of 38 cm; Wt. of 156–225 g.  The male has crimson on forehead, crown and crest and malar area; rest of head, and upperparts, including wings and tail are greyish-black to sooty-black. It has entire underparts as sooty-black; bill is blackish; iris is pale yellow, orbital skin is greyish; legs are slaty. The female has red only on hindcrown and crest. The juvenile as adult but duller, browner, eyes are grey, male is with black and white mixed in red crown feathers, much less red in malar.

Habitat: It is found in tall evergreen forest, often rather open. It is found in lowlands

Food habits: It eats ants. It lives in pairs; also occurs in loose family parties. It forages mainly on trunks of large trees or on main dead branches; descends to ground to hunt for ants. It hammers powerfully.

Breeding habits: They breed inJan–Mar in Andaman Island. The nest-hole is built up in trunk of dead tree or in large branch. They lay a clutch of 2 eggs.