The black-headed woodpecker is a medium-sized bird at around 33cm tall and 100-135g. Adult birds have very distinct plumage and have a black face, yellow throat, green wings, a red lower back, and a white stomach. They also have white/yellow eyes and some individuals have a thin white line from their eye to their neck. Males have a red crown, while females have a completely black crown with no red. Juveniles are less pigmented than adults and juvenile males have fewer red crown feathers on their head.
Black-headed woodpeckers are found in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. They are most commonly found in the mid-story and sub-canopy of deciduous and coniferous forests. They usually prefer dry dipterocarp forests, semi-evergreen forests, riverine forests, and savanna forests. They are also resident birds.
Black-headed woodpeckers, like most woodpeckers, are insectivorous and glean insects on the bark of trees. They most commonly consume termites, but they also eat ants and other insects and invertebrates.
Little is known about their reproduction, but they reproduce between February-June and nest within trees. They also have around 3-4 eggs. In a wildlife sanctuary in Chiang Mai, their nests were occupied in May.
The black-headed woodpecker is currently classified as least concern, but populations are decreasing. This is mostly due to habitat destruction caused by human settlement and agricultural fields.
In 2003, the black-headed woodpecker was declared a protected wildlife species by the Thai government. The species is also found in many wildlife sanctuaries across Thailand.
