About Hemicircus concretus (Temminck, 1821)
Body Size and Shape
This species, the grey-and-buff woodpecker, has a plump body and a short rounded tail, reaching an adult length of about 13.5 cm (5.3 in).
Head and Neck Features
Its head looks large because it has a slender neck and a large, cone-shaped crest. Most of the head is grey, with a fine white wavy line that runs from the cheek to the mantle.
Sexual Dimorphism
Male birds have a red forehead and a grey crest, while both the forehead and crest are grey in females.
Upper Body and Wing Plumage
The upper parts of the body and the wings are blackish; the edges of the feathers are white or buff, which creates a scalloped pattern.
Lower Body and Limb Coloration
The underparts are grey, the tail and underwing are dark, and the legs are grey or brown.
Beak and Iris Features
The beak is long, slender, and grey with a black tip, and the iris is chestnut.
Back Gland Trait
A gland with an unknown function is located on the bird's back, and its secretions sometimes stain the white rump.
Native Range
This woodpecker is native to tropical southeastern Asia. Its distribution range extends from southern Myanmar, peninsular Thailand, and peninsular Malaysia to Sumatra and Borneo.
Habitat Types
It is a resident species that inhabits lowland and mid-elevation evergreen rainforests, especially clearings and forest edges. It can also be found in plantations, bamboo thickets, cleared areas, wooded urban areas, and cultivated land.
Social Behavior
The grey-and-buff woodpecker is usually seen alone or in pairs, but it sometimes joins mixed-species foraging flocks in the canopy.
Feeding Habits
It feeds mainly by gleaning rather than drilling into wood, and its diet includes insects and fruit, such as mistletoe (Loranthus) berries.
Roosting Behavior
At night, these birds roost communally in shallow holes that they excavate close to one another in dead wood.
Breeding Traits
Nesting occurs in deeper holes or crevices, and the breeding season falls between December and July.
