Grey-and-buff Woodpecker

Overview

The grey-and-buff woodpecker, Hemicircus concretus, is a species of bird in the family Picidae native to tropical southeastern Asia. It is classified as 'least concern' by the IUCN Red List, though numbers are thought to be in gradual decline due to habitat loss.

Identification

• Plump body with a short rounded tail, reaching about 13.5 cm in length.
• Large head with a cone-shaped crest; the forehead is red in males and grey in females, while the crest is grey in both sexes.
• Blackish upper parts and wings scalloped with white or buff feather edges; grey underparts.
• Long, slender grey beak with a black tip and chestnut irises.

Habitat

Found in lowland and mid-elevation evergreen rainforests, particularly clearings and forest edges, as well as plantations, bamboo thickets, and cultivated land. Its range extends from southern Myanmar and peninsular Thailand and Malaysia to Sumatra and Borneo.

Diet

Feeds mainly by gleaning rather than drilling, consuming insects and fruit including mistletoe (Loranthus) berries. It is usually seen singly or in pairs, but occasionally joins mixed-species flocks in the canopy.

Did you know?

The species possesses a gland of unknown function on its back, the secretions from which sometimes stain the white rump.