The Javan woodcock or rufous woodcock is a small wader restricted to wet mountain forests on Sumatra and western Java. It nests on a bed of moss in light undergrowth. It does not have a "drumming" display flight like the Eurasian woodcock, but instead calls from a perch
Region
Sunda Islands (Sumatra and Java)
Typical Environment
Occurs in wet, mossy montane evergreen forest, often near streams, seepage areas, and in shaded gullies with dense understory. Prefers soft, moist soils with thick leaf litter for probing. Found in primary forest and suitably humid secondary growth where ground cover remains intact. It is secretive and typically keeps to the forest floor, moving quietly through tangles and along small watercourses.
Altitude Range
800–2400 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the rufous woodcock, this shy, nocturnal wader is confined to wet montane forests of Sumatra and western Java. Unlike the Eurasian woodcock, it does not perform a drumming display flight; males instead give calls from perches at dusk or night. It nests on a bed of moss in light undergrowth and is rarely seen due to its superbly cryptic plumage. Ongoing loss and degradation of montane forest likely affects its populations.
Temperament
solitary and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low and agile through understory
Social Behavior
Mostly solitary except in the breeding season. Nests on the ground on a simple bed of moss in lightly vegetated undergrowth. Territorial males call from low perches at dusk or at night. Adults escort chicks soon after hatching, leading them to moist foraging patches.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
No drumming display; males give soft, wheezy whistles and repeated chip or peep notes from a perch, mostly at dusk and during the night. Calls are subdued and can be difficult to locate in dense forest.
Plumage
Rich rufous-brown, heavily mottled and barred with blackish and buff, giving strong leaf-litter camouflage.
Diet
Feeds mainly on earthworms, insect larvae, beetles, and other small invertebrates taken by probing the soft forest floor. Uses its long bill to detect prey by touch in mud and moss. Also gleans small arthropods from leaf litter. Foraging is methodical, with pauses to listen and probe repeatedly in promising patches.
Preferred Environment
Damp forest floor along shaded streams, seeps, and gullies with deep leaf litter and moss. Often forages at forest edges of clearings within montane zones but avoids open wetlands.
