Description:

Small, aberrant, long-tailed woodpecker with short, pointed bill very narrow across nostrils. Cryptically patterned with grey, buff and brown. Has dark stripe through eye, irregular dark stripe down nape and mantle, buff to pale rufous throat and breast which are finely barred with black, and long, barred tail.

Distribution:

Common summer visitor to all the valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan, except for eastern Baltistan region. Prefers open forest, clearings, woodland with low undergrowth and wooded pasture that are dry, sunlit and low grass. Breeds at 1500-3300m.

Behavior:

Forages mainly on the ground, occasionally in trees. Procures prey from crevices or from the surface; uses bill to open anthills. Hops on ground and along horizontal or sloping branches. Diet mostly ants, mainly larvae and pupae; other insects include beetles, aphids, flies, bugs. Some spiders taken, also woodlice; occasionally molluscs, frog tadpoles, bird eggs; rarely, plant matter.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Eurasian Wryneck in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Eurasian Wryneck

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.