Gray-and-buff Woodpecker
Hemicircus concretus
Small stout woodpecker with an oversized crested head and black-and-white scaling on the back. Males have a brilliant red front to the crest that females lack. Agile and active, frequently foraging in the upper canopy or on exposed snags. Crawls along trunks, sometimes descending headfirst like a nuthatch. Found in lowland and hill forests. Gives high-pitched squeaks, descending “peer” notes, and rattles.
Identification
The species has a plump body and short rounded tail, and grows to a length of about 13.5 cm (5.3 in). The head appears large because of the slender neck and the large, cone-shaped crest. The head is largely grey, with a fine white, wavy line running from the cheek to the mantle. In males the forehead is red and the crest grey, while in females, both are grey. Body upper parts and wings are blackish, the feathers being edged with white or buff giving a scalloped effect. Underparts are grey, the tail and underwing dark, and the legs are grey or brown. The beak is long, slender and grey with a black tip, and the iris is chestnut. A gland of unknown function is on the back, the secretions from which sometimes stain the white rump.
Taxonomy
The grey-and-buff woodpecker was formally described by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1821 and given the binomial name Picus concretus. The type locality is western and central Java. The species is now placed in the genus Hemicircus that was introduced in 1837 by the English naturalist William John Swainson.<p>Two subspecies are recognised:<p>The species is sometimes split with H. concretus as the red-crested woodpecker and H. sordidus as the grey-and-buff woodpecker.
- Scientific name
- Hemicircus concretus
- Authority
- (Temminck, 1821)
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Picidae
- Genus
- Hemicircus
Range and habitat
This woodpecker is native to tropical southeastern Asia. Its range extends from southern Myanmar and peninsular Thailand and Malaysia, to Sumatra and Borneo. It is a resident species found in lowland and mid-elevation evergreen rainforests, particularly clearings and forest edges, also in plantations, bamboo thickets, cleared areas, wooded urban areas and cultivated land.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The grey-and-buff woodpecker is usually seen singly or in pairs, but sometimes occurs in mixed species flocks foraging in the canopy. It mainly feeds by gleaning rather than by drilling into the wood, the diet consisting of insects and fruit, including mistletoe (Loranthus) berries. The birds roost communally at night in shallow holes they excavate near each other in dead wood. Nesting takes place in deeper holes or crevices, the breeding season being between December and July.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Papuan Whipbird
Androphobus viridis
A rare and little known, medium-sized bird of montane forests. Overall olive-green plumage with a longish tail which is often held cocked. Male has a black throat and chest with a white moustache stripe. Usually in pairs and very skulking. Similar to female Fan-tailed Berrypecker, but Papuan Whipbird lacks the paler belly, white in the tail, side streak and pale around the base of the bill. Voice, a rising whistle similar to a jewel-babbler, and a quiet scolding note.
Red-legged Honeycreeper
Cyanerpes cyaneus
Small, warbler-like tanager of tropical lowlands. Favors forest edge, woodland, and semi-open areas with taller trees. Often occurs in small groups, sometimes larger flocks, usually in the canopy of flowering trees, where it probes for nectar with its long bill. Red legs are bright on male, dullest on young birds. Male is blue in breeding plumage, with a turquoise cap; female and non-breeding male are greenish overall with faint streaking on the chest. In flight, the underside of the wings flash bright sulphur-yellow.
Narrow-billed Antwren
Formicivora iheringi
Long-tailed antwren with white flanks, unmistakable within its restricted range. Males are dark gray with a black bib. Females are olive-brown above and cinnamon below with two buff wing bars. Found in deciduous forests, where it forages from the understory to middle levels, usually alone but sometimes loosely accompanying mixed-species flocks. Songs a long series of clear “tiuw” notes.
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