Brown-fronted Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes auriceps)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Brown-fronted Woodpecker

Dendrocoptes auriceps (Vigors, 1831)

≈20 cmLength40 gWeight

It has touches of yellow on the crown and a black moustachial stripe extending to the breast.

Busiest months: February–April and December · Most records: India, Pakistan, Nepal

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Yellow on the crown
  2. Black moustachial stripe extends to the breast
  3. White underparts with black streaks
  4. Deep pink feathers around the vent

Male, female and young

The male's crown is brown at the front, yellow in the middle and red at the rear.

Where and when it's recorded

Brown-fronted Woodpecker has been recorded at 48 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. SattalIndia1,059 records
  2. PangotIndia477 records
  3. Talhaar Ridge - Margalla HillsPakistan81 records
More places
  1. Munsyari – Bheema WodeyarIndia59 records
  2. Corbett NP – DhikalaIndia50 records
  3. Margalla Hills Trail 5Pakistan28 records
  4. Mt. PhulchowkiNepal23 records
  5. Wildlife Institute of IndiaIndia23 records
  6. Corbett NPIndia21 records
  7. Forest Research Institute (FRI), New Forest CampusIndia20 records

Countries and regions with the most records

IndiaPakistanNepalChina

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

Questions

How big is the Brown-fronted Woodpecker?

The Brown-fronted Woodpecker is about ≈20 cm long and weighs around 40 g.

Where does the Brown-fronted Woodpecker live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: northeastern Afghanistan to central Nepal. It is most often recorded in India, Pakistan and Nepal.

When is the best time to see the Brown-fronted Woodpecker?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February, March, April and December (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Brown-fronted Woodpecker endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Brown-fronted Woodpecker as Least Concern.

What does the Brown-fronted Woodpecker eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Brown-fronted Woodpecker in?

It belongs to the family Woodpeckers (Picidae), order Piciformes.

At a glance

Length
≈20 cm
Weight
40 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
114 mm
Tail
73 mm
Bill
23 mm
Tarsus
18 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental: northeastern Afghanistan to central Nepal

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Woodpeckers Picidae
Genus
Dendrocoptes

Other birds in the genus Dendrocoptes

Brown-fronted Woodpecker

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Dhruv Sah. ↗

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