The rufous-bellied woodpecker or rufous-bellied sapsucker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. This woodpecker has a habit of making a series of small pits on the bark of trees leading to its being considered an Asiatic member of the sapsuckers in the past. It is found along the Himalayas in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, ranging across Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Manchuria, Ussuriland and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
Region
Himalayas, Southeast Asia, and Northeast Asia
Typical Environment
Found from the Himalayan foothills across northeastern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar into Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and parts of southern China including Hong Kong, extending north to Manchuria, Korea, and the Ussuri region. Prefers moist broadleaf forests, forest edges, and secondary woodland. It frequents both lowland and montane forests and is often seen along clearings or in mixed forest mosaics. The species selects trees with suitable bark for drilling sap wells and will use orchards or plantations when available.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 3000 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the rufous-bellied sapsucker, this woodpecker drills neat rows of sap wells in living trees and returns repeatedly to feed on the exuding sap and trapped insects. Its rufous underparts and finely barred black-and-white upperparts help distinguish it from other similar-sized pied woodpeckers. It occurs from the Himalayas across parts of Southeast and Northeast Asia and can show local altitudinal movements. The species often benefits other animals that also visit its sap wells.
Adult Male at Uttarakhand, India
Rings on the trunk of Rhododendron arboreum in the central Himalayas in response to years of tapping by rufous-bellied woodpeckers.
Rufous-bellied woodpecker @ Pangoot, Uttrakhand
Temperament
shy and unobtrusive
Flight Pattern
undulating with bounding arcs
Social Behavior
Usually forages singly or in pairs and may join mixed-species flocks in the canopy. Drills orderly rows of small sap wells on tree trunks and larger branches and defends productive trees. Nests in a self-excavated cavity; pairs are seasonally monogamous and both sexes incubate and feed young.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Vocalizations include soft, nasal notes and squeaky mews around feeding sites. Drumming is a rapid, short burst on resonant wood, used for territory advertisement and pair communication.
Plumage
Upperparts black with fine white barring and patches on the wings; underparts rich rufous to cinnamon from breast to belly. Face shows contrasting pale streaks and a darker malar line; tail mostly black. Males typically show a red crown or forecrown, while females lack red on the crown.
Diet
Feeds on tree sap from its own sap wells, licking exudate and taking small arthropods attracted to the sap. Also consumes ants, beetles, caterpillars, and occasional fruit or berries when available. It revisits active wells repeatedly and may rotate among several trees within a territory.
Preferred Environment
Forages on live trunks and thicker branches in moist broadleaf forest, edges, and secondary growth. Uses trees with smooth or moderately thin bark and will exploit orchards or plantations that provide suitable sap sources.
