White-naped Woodpecker

The white-naped woodpecker is a large woodpecker about 29cm long. Its white hind neck runs down the back, bordered by a V formed by the black shoulder patches, and the rest of the upperparts and wings are golden yellow, with a black rump and tail. The underparts are white with dark chevrons, and the whitish head has a dark moustache and a black eye patch running down the sides of the neck. The male has a red crown and the female a yellow one; young birds are like females but duller (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is a widespread but scarce woodpecker of open forest and scrub with some trees, and nests in a tree hole, laying one or two white eggs. Like other woodpeckers it has a straight, pointed bill, a stiff supporting tail, two toes forward and two back, and a long tongue for catching insects. Two subspecies are recognised (Wikipedia, general species account).