This species was described by Temminck in 1836. The IOC World Bird List recognizes the following subspecies: Yungipicus kizuki permutatus, Y. k. seebohmi, Y. k. nippon, Y. k. shikokuensis, Y. k. kizuki, Y. k. matsudairai, Y. k. kotataki, Y. k. amamii, Y. k. nigrescens and Y. k. orii. The species has previously been placed in genera Dendrocopos and Picoides.
Description
The Japanese pygmy woodpecker is long. The crown is grey-brown. A white supercilium starts above the eye and continues to the neck and breast. The ear coverts are brown, and there are a white moustachial stripe and a grey-brown malar stripe. The chin and throat are white. The mantle and back are dark brown, with white bars. The upperwing coverts and flight feathers are brownish-black and have white bars. The breast has a brownish suffusion. The breast, flank and belly have variable streaks. The tail is blackish, with white bars on its outer feathers. The iris is chestnut, the beak is blackish and the legs are grey. The male has a small red mark on the side of its nape, and the female does not. The female's beak, wings and tail are longer than the male's. The juvenile bird's throat is often streaked. The bird becomes smaller and darker from the north of its range to the south.
Distribution and habitat
This woodpecker is found in Korea, northeastern China, southeastern Siberia, Sakhalin, Japan and the Ryukyu Islands. It occurs up to in elevation, and its habitat consists of many types of coniferous and deciduous forests, including lowland, upland and riverine forests, and also parks and gardens.
Behaviour
The Japanese pygmy woodpecker occurs in pairs and mixed-species foraging flocks, searching on trees for invertebrates, such as spiders, caterpillars, ants and aphids, and berries. Its calls are khit and kzz notes, and it drums weakly in short bursts. Breeding starts in March in southern Japan and in late May in northern Japan. A nest hole is excavated in a dead branch. The eggs are white, measuring about by. Five to seven white eggs are laid and then incubated for 12 to 14 days. Fledging occurs after three weeks.
Status
The species has a large range and a stable population, so the IUCN has assessed it as a least-concern species.
