Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker (Dendrocopos kizuki)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Dendrocopos ("tree-striking") kizuki (French species name, derived from Japanese)

Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker (subspecies - D. k. seebohmi) at Shiranuka, Hokkaido, Japan - November 2014

Featured Subspecies: Dendrocopos kizuki seebohmi
Weight: 13-15g  /  Length: 15cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Rd List - Least Concern

The naming of the Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker gives a fairly solid outline for this species, it is a very small woodpecker which lives in Japan and the surrounding parts of Asia.  Beyond that my observations and research of this species has given me fairly little to go on, it's behavior during my my brief sighting was essentially consistent with any other tree climbing species I've encountered.  During my second Japan visit, I encountered two as part of a small flock with Eurasian Nuthatch and Japanese Tit that were far more approachable.

Related Species:
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Genus: Dendrocopos
Subspecies: D. k. ijimae, D. k. seebohmi, D. k. amanii, D. k. kizuki

- Sighting Locations -

JAPAN - Japanese - コゲラ  /  Ko-gera ("Small woodpecker")

Fairly common resident.

 - KYOTO/OSAKA 2013 TRIP: A single bird in Arashiyama.

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: A single bird seem in Shiranuka.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto