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.
Plumage
Barred black-and-buff upperparts with finely patterned wings and back; underparts show buff to pale ochre with dark barring or scaling. The neck and throat are buff, forming a noticeable collar. Head is dark brown to blackish with delicate pale streaking.
Diet
Primarily feeds on ants, termites, beetle larvae, and other wood-boring insects taken from bark and decayed wood. It gleans, probes, and taps rather than heavy chiseling, often concentrating on dead limbs and snags. Occasionally consumes small fruits or seeds when insect prey is scarce.
Preferred Environment
Forages on trunks and larger branches in lowland primary and swamp forests, especially areas with abundant deadwood. Often works midstory to subcanopy levels but will descend to lower trunks in quieter forest interiors.
