Picidae / キツツキ科 (Ki-tsutsuki ka)

General names

Information is based on dictionaries and other sources. Species list may not be current. Comments and corrections welcome.

Woodpeckers are commonly known in Japanese as キツツキ ki-tsutsuki or 'wood-peckers' (ki = 'wood', tsutsuku = 'to peck'). This would logically be written 木啄, and indeed this is how it is written in the haiku of the great poet Basho in the 17th century, but present-day Japanese writes ki-tsutsuki with the Chinese name, 啄木鳥, which would in the normal course of things be read takuboku-chō.

Scientifically, the word キツツキ ki-tsutsuki is used only in the family name キツツキ科 Ki-tsutsuki ka (Picidae) and the common name of Picumnus innominatus (Speckled piculet).

For most woodpeckers, the literary term ケラ kera (or -gera in combination) is used to form the common name. In Chinese characters, ケラ kera and キツツキ ki-tsutsuki are written exactly the same, i.e., with the Chinese name 啄木鳥.

The Wryneck is known as the アリスイ ari-sui or 'ant-sucker'.

Other names for the woodpeckers include:

テラツツキ tera-tsutsuki 'temple-pecker', written 寺啄

タクボク takuboku 'wood-pecker' (Chinese name), written 啄木

In Japanese haiku, the woodpeckers are a season word for autumn. They are referred to as ki-tsutsuki (啄木鳥 or 木突), kera-tsutsuki (けら突き), kera (けら), or ki-tataki (木たたき).

Species names

JYNGINAE SCIENTIFIC & WESTERN JAPANESE CHINESE KOREAN Latin Eng, Fr, Ger, Ru Japanese Other J Chinese Chinese (Taiwan) Other Ch Korean Jynx               Jynx torquilla Northern wryneck Eurasian wryneck Torcol fourmilier Wendehals Вертишейка アリスイ (蟻吸) ari-sui 'ant-sucker'   蚁䴕 (蟻鴷) yǐ liè 'ant woodpecker' 地啄木 dì zhuó-mù 'ground wood pecker' 蛇皮鸟 (蛇皮鳥) shé-pí niǎo 'snake skin bird' 歪脖 wāi-bó 'crooked neck' 歪脖鸟 (歪脖鳥) wāi-bó niǎo 'crooked neck bird' 개미잡이 gaemijabi 'ant jabi?'

PICINAE SCIENTIFIC & WESTERN JAPANESE CHINESE KOREAN Latin Eng, Fr, Ger, Ru Japanese Other J Chinese Chinese (Taiwan) Other Ch Korean Dendrocopos               Dendrocopos kizuki Picoides kizuki Japanese pygmy woodpecker Pygmy woodpecker Japanese spotted woodpecker Pigmy woodpecker Pic kisuki Kizukispecht Карликовый дятел コゲラ (小啄木鳥) ko-gera 'small kera'   小星头啄木鸟 (小星頭啄木鳥) xiǎo xīng-tóu zhuó-mù-niǎo 'small star-headed wood-pecking bird'     쇠딱다구리 soe-ttakdaguri 'small woodpecker' Dendrocopos minor Picoides minor Lesser spotted woodpecker Lesser pied woodpecker Pic épeichette Kleinspecht Малый дятел コアカゲラ (小赤啄木鳥) ko aka-gera 'small red kera'   小斑啄木鸟 (小斑啄木鳥) xiǎo bān zhuó-mù-niǎo 'small striped wood-pecking bird'     쇠오색딱다구리 soe-o-saek-ttakdaguri 'small five-coloured woodpecker' Dendrocopos leucotos Picoides leucotos White-backed woodpecker Pic à dos blanc Weißrückenspecht Белоспинный дятел オオアカゲラ (大赤啄木鳥) ō aka-gera 'large red kera'   白背啄木鸟 (白背啄木鳥) bái-bèi zhuó-mù-niǎo 'white-backed wood-pecking bird' 大赤啄木 dà chì zhuó-mù 'large red wood-pecker'   큰오색딱다구리 keun o-saek-ttakdaguri 'large five-coloured woodpecker' Dendrocopos major Picoides major Great spotted woodpecker Greater pied woodpecker Pic épeiche Buntspecht Пестрый дятел アカゲラ (赤啄木鳥) aka-gera 'red kera'   大斑啄木鸟 (大斑啄木鳥) dà bān zhuó-mù-niǎo 'large striped/spotted wood-pecking bird'   斑啄木鸟 (斑啄木鳥) bān zhuó-mù-niǎo 'striped wood-pecking bird' (6, 7) 大斑啄木 dà bān zhuó-mù 'large striped/spotted peck-wood' 花啄木 huā zhuó-mù 'flowery peck-wood' 花锛打木 (花錛打木) huā bēn-dǎ-mù 'flowery adze-strike-tree' (dialect) 花锛得儿木 (花錛得兒木) huā bēn-dér-mù 'flowery adze-get-tree' (dialect) 오색딱다구리 o-saek-ttakdaguri 'five-coloured woodpecker' Picoides               Picoides tridactylus Three-toed woodpecker Eurasian three-toed woodpecker Northern three-toed woodpecker Pic tridactyle Dreizehenspecht Дятел трехпалый ミユビゲラ (三趾啄木鳥) mi-yubi gera 'three-toed kera' エゾミユビゲラ (蝦夷三趾啄木鳥) Ezo mi-yubi gera 'Hokkaido three-toed kera' (old scientific name) 三趾啄木鸟 (三趾啄木鳥) sān-zhǐ zhuó-mù-niǎo 'three-toed wood-pecking bird'     세가락딱다구리 se-garak-ttakdaguri 'three-toed woodpecker' Dryocopus               Dryocopus javensis White-bellied woodpecker White-bellied black woodpecker Pic à ventre blanc Weißbauchspecht キタタキ (木啄) ki-tataki tree tapper'   白腹黑啄木鸟 (白腹黑啄木鳥) bái-fù hēi zhuó-mù-niǎo 'white-bellied black wood-pecking bird'     크낙새 keun-ak-sae 'large ak bird' Dryocopus martius Black woodpecker Pic noir Schwarzspecht Желна クマゲラ (熊啄木鳥) kuma-gera 'bear kera'   黑啄木鸟 (黑啄木鳥) hēi zhuó-mù-niǎo 'black wood-pecking bird'     까막딱다구리 kkamak-ttakdaguri 'black woodpecker' Latin English Japanese Other J Chinese Chinese (Taiwan) Other Ch Korean Picus               Picus awokera Japanese woodpecker Wavy-bellied woodpecker Japanese green woodpecker Pic awokéra Japangrünspecht Японский зелёный дятел アオゲラ (青啄木鳥) ao-gera 'blue/green kera'   日本绿啄木鸟 (日本綠啄木鳥) Rìběn lǜ-zhuómù-niǎo 'Japanese green wood-pecking bird'       Picus canus Grey-headed woodpecker or Grey-faced woodpecker Black-naped green woodpecker Pic cendré Grauspecht Седой дятел ヤマゲラ (山啄木鳥) yama-gera 'mountain kera'   灰头绿啄木鸟 (灰頭綠啄木鳥) huī-tóu lǜ-zhuómù-niǎo 'grey-headed green wood-pecking bird' (1, 2, 3, 4) 灰头啄木鸟 (灰頭啄木鳥) huī-tóu zhuómù-niǎo 'grey-headed wood-pecking bird' (5) 綠啄木 lǜ zhuó-mù 'green wood-pecker' 黑枕绿啄木鸟 (黑枕綠啄木鳥) hēi-zhěn lǜ-zhuómù-niǎo 'black-naped green wood-pecking bird' (6, 7) 绿锛得木 (綠錛得木) lǜ bēn-dér-mù 'green adze-get-tree' (dialect) 黄啄木 huáng zhuó-mù 'yellow wood-pecker' 山啄木 shān zhuó-mù 'mountain wood-pecker' 火老鸦 (火老鴉) huǒ lǎo-yā 'fire crow' 山䴕 (山鴷) shān liè 'mountain woodpecker' 청딱다구리 cheong-ttakdaguri 'green woodpecker' Sapheopipo               Sapheopipo noguchii Okinawan woodpecker Okinawa woodpecker Preyr's Woodpecker Pic d'Okinawa Okinawaspecht ノグチゲラ (野口啄木鳥) Noguchi gera 'Noguchi kera'   冲绳啄木鸟 (沖繩啄木鳥) Chōngshéng zhuó-mù-niǎo 'Okinawa wood-pecking bird'       Latin English Japanese Other J Chinese Chinese (Taiwan) Other Ch Korean