The buff-necked woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical swamps. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Region
Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Occurs in Sundaland, including southern Myanmar and Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Borneo, and parts of Sumatra and nearby islands. It inhabits primary and older secondary lowland evergreen and swamp forests, including peat-swamp and riverine forests. The species prefers dense, humid interiors with abundant deadwood for foraging and nesting. It tolerates selectively logged forest but is sensitive to severe fragmentation and conversion to plantations.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A lowland forest specialist, the buff-necked woodpecker favors mature dipterocarp and swamp forests, where it forages mostly on trunks and larger branches. It is unobtrusive and often detected by its soft tapping or rattling calls rather than by song. Habitat loss across Sundaland has caused declines, making intact forest crucial for its survival.
Temperament
shy and unobtrusive
Flight Pattern
bounding woodpecker flight with short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually found singly, in pairs, or family parties, and sometimes joins mixed-species foraging flocks in the canopy and midstory. Nests are excavated in dead or decaying wood, typically in standing snags or softer trunks. Clutch size is small, with both parents participating in incubation and chick provisioning.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are soft, including rattling trills and short, dry churring notes. Drumming is light and brief, often used for contact rather than long-distance display.
