Sasia abnormis (Temminck, 1825)

Taxonomy and Size

The rufous piculet, with the scientific name Sasia abnormis (Temminck, 1825), is a very small bird. It has short wings and an almost non-existent tail, with a total length ranging from 8 to 10 cm (3 to 4 in).

Plumage - Upper and Underparts

Its upper parts are generally green with a bronze tint, while its underparts are rufous, orange, or cinnamon, with paler flanks. The mantle and back are olive, the upper surface of the wings is brownish, and the underwings are buff.

Tail Characteristics

Its short stumpy tail is blackish on the upper side, edged with olive.

Sexual Dimorphism

Males and females of this species have distinct physical differences: the male has a yellow or golden patch on the forehead, while the female has a bronze patch on the forehead, and the female also has a larger beak than the male.

Bill and Iris Features

For both sexes, the upper mandible is blackish and the lower mandible is yellowish. The iris is reddish, and there is a ring of bare pinkish or purplish skin surrounding the eye.

Feet and Toe Structure

The legs and feet are yellowish or orange, and this species has just three toes on each foot, whereas four toes is the normal arrangement for the woodpecker family.

Juvenile Coloration

Juvenile rufous piculets are rather more grey in overall coloration.

Geographic Range

This bird is native to tropical southeastern Asia. Its range extends from southern Myanmar, through Thailand and the Malay Peninsula, to the Greater Sunda Islands and Borneo.

Movement Pattern

It is a resident, sedentary species.

Elevation Range

It is generally restricted to lowlands and hills, reaching altitudes of up to about 1,600 m (5,200 ft) in Borneo.

Habitat Preferences

Its typical habitat is dense humid secondary forests with tangled undergrowth, vines, creepers, bamboos, and dead rotting trees, and it is often found near streams.

Social Behavior and Activity

The rufous piculet is an active bird that moves singly or in small groups through the lowest forest storeys, usually staying within 5 m (16 ft) of the ground.

Foraging Locations

It forages on trunks, dead branches, vines, in bushes, among bamboos, and in tall grasses.

Foraging Methods

It gleans prey scrupulously, probing into holes and pulling out insects with its long tongue. It sometimes works its way up a trunk crosswise, making short flights to turn and face the opposite direction.

Group Foraging Trait

When foraging in a group, multiple members often work in synchrony.

Diet Composition

Its diet consists of ants, ant larvae, termites, small beetles, spiders, and other small invertebrates.

Breeding Season

The breeding season occurs in February in Borneo; in Malaysia, nestlings have been recorded in May and June.

Nesting Sites

Nests are sometimes located in holes in dead branches, and other times in bamboo.