The white-browed piculet is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
Region
South and Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Occurs from the Himalayan foothills of Nepal, Bhutan, and northeastern India through Bangladesh and Myanmar into Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It frequents subtropical and tropical moist forests, forest edges, and especially bamboo thickets and secondary growth. Often found in dense understory where it creeps along thin branches and bamboo stems. Tolerant of lightly degraded habitats provided understory and bamboo are present.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The white-browed piculet is one of the smallest woodpeckers, adapted to foraging on slender twigs and bamboo rather than large trunks. It often nests by excavating tiny cavities in dead bamboo culms. Males show a small yellowish forehead patch, while both sexes have a neat white eyebrow. Its drumming is weak or absent; it relies more on quiet tapping and high, thin calls.
Illustration by John Gould
White-browed Piculet in Nepal.
Temperament
secretive and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats between perches
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, occasionally in small family groups and sometimes joining mixed-species flocks in the understory. Pairs excavate tiny cavities in dead wood or bamboo for nesting and share incubation and chick-rearing. Clutch size is small, and nests are well concealed in dense growth.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Voice is a thin, high-pitched tsit-tsit and soft trills that carry poorly through dense vegetation. Also gives quiet tapping while foraging rather than sustained drumming. Vocalizations are subtle and easily overlooked.
