Pale-headed Woodpecker (Gecinulus grantia)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Pale-headed Woodpecker

Gecinulus grantia (Horsfield, 1840)

≈24 cmLength76 gWeight

This woodpecker inhabits mountains and depends specifically on bamboo forest.

Busiest months: April · Most records: Vietnam, India, Cambodia

Least Concern

How to identify

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: April · Most records: Vietnam, India, Cambodia

Pale-headed Woodpecker has been recorded at 57 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 8 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Garbhanga Reserve ForestIndia211 records
  2. Cat Tien NPVietnam160 records
  3. Andong Kralong Eco-tourism CampCambodia89 records
More places
  1. Cat Tien National Park – HQVietnam79 records
  2. Mahananda WLS – Rongtong and Shivakhola ForestIndia67 records
  3. Fuzhou National Forest ParkChina41 records
  4. Royal Manas NP – Goling areaBhutan32 records
  5. Cat Tien NP – Ta Lai TrackVietnam28 records
  6. Emei Peak NNRChina27 records
  7. Cat Tien NP – Da Co (Heaven's Rapids) TrackVietnam23 records

Countries and regions with the most records

VietnamIndiaCambodiaChinaBhutanMyanmar (Burma)BangladeshLaos

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 Pale-headed Woodpecker?

The Pale-headed Woodpecker is about ≈24 cm long and weighs around 76 g.

Where does the Pale-headed Woodpecker live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: Southeast Asia and eastern China. It is most often recorded in Vietnam, India and Cambodia.

When is the best time to see the Pale-headed Woodpecker?

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

Is the Pale-headed Woodpecker endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Pale-headed Woodpecker as Least Concern.

What does the Pale-headed Woodpecker eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Pale-headed Woodpecker in?

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

At a glance

Length
≈24 cm
Weight
76 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
126 mm
Tail
80 mm
Bill
25 mm
Tarsus
24 mm

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

Range

Oriental: Southeast Asia and eastern China

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 2
  • Gecinulus grantia viridanus se China
  • Gecinulus grantia indochinensis sw China to ne Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam

Classification

Family
Woodpeckers Picidae
Genus
Gecinulus

Other birds in the genus Gecinulus

Bamboo WoodpeckerBamboo WoodpeckerGecinulus viridisOlive-backed WoodpeckerOlive-backed WoodpeckerGecinulus rafflesiiEurasian WryneckEurasian WryneckJynx torquillaRed-throated WryneckRed-throated WryneckJynx ruficollisSpeckled PiculetSpeckled PiculetPicumnus innominatusBar-breasted PiculetBar-breasted PiculetPicumnus aurifronsLafresnaye's PiculetLafresnaye's PiculetPicumnus lafresnayiOrinoco PiculetOrinoco PiculetPicumnus pumilusGolden-spangled PiculetGolden-spangled PiculetPicumnus exilisEcuadorian PiculetEcuadorian PiculetPicumnus sclateri
Pale-headed Woodpecker

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

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