Bay Woodpecker

Bay Woodpecker

Blythipicus pyrrhotis

Silhouette: Pepe Reigada · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Hong Kong

In 3 days <5%

10 Verified sightings at Hong Kong
1,441 In all 7 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Bay Woodpecker

The bay woodpecker (Blythipicus pyrrhotis) is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

The bay woodpecker's diet consists of various insects such as ants, termites and wood-boring beetles, and they will also consume berries occasionally. They do most of their foraging 3–4 m below the surface level, on trunks, rotting snags, logs, and on saplings, vines and bamboo. They do not forage near other bay woodpeckers, but they maintain loose contact with their partners.

The bay woodpecker is a mid-size bird with a body length of 26.5–30 cm (10.4–11.8 in). The average adult bay woodpecker has a weight of 126–170 g (4.4–6.0 oz). Male bay woodpeckers can be distinguished by a brown crown on their heads, a short crest and nape with streaking, and a pale brown forehead. Female bay woodpeckers have a shorter bill than the males, as well as a pale head without any red on the neck. Bay woodpeckers are members of the... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:08

China · 2026

© Dave Guo · XC1148751 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:27

China · 2025

© JJSUN · XC1082779 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Alarm call0:12

Malaysia · 2023

© Wai Loon Wong · XC805702 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Namdapha National Park 🇮🇳 India
~40%
2 Cuc Phuong National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~20%
3 Royal Manas National Park 🇧🇹 Bhutan
~20%
4 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
5 Langtang National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~10%
6 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
7 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Hong Kong 🇨🇳 China
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Bay Woodpecker in Hong Kong?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bay Woodpecker sighting in Hong Kong on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 179th most-seen of the 204 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Bay Woodpecker in Hong Kong?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bay Woodpecker in Hong Kong on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Bay Woodpecker?

Between 2 and 5 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bay Woodpecker sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Where else can you see a Bay Woodpecker?

Only Hong Kong, in our data

Hong Kong is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Bay Woodpecker sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Where does the Bay Woodpecker sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Bay Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Hong Kong (10 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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