Andaman Woodpecker

The Andaman woodpecker is about 38 cm long and weighs 156–255 g. The plumage is mostly slate-grey to black with a bright red crest, and the male also has a red crown and a red patch under the eye. The bare skin around the eye is grey, the legs slaty, the bill black and the irises pale yellow. It is endemic to the Andaman Islands and threatened by habitat loss (Wikipedia, general species account).

Little is recorded of its behaviour. It has been recorded breeding between January and March, in a nest hole 6–14 m off the forest floor in a dead tree, and forages on large trunks and branches, and has also been recorded foraging on the ground for ants. SoIB 2023 rates it a High conservation priority, with a Restricted range of about 5,000 km² (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).