The olive-backed woodpecker is a species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae that is found in Southeast Asia.
Region
Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Occurs in the Sundaic lowlands including the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Bangka, Belitung, and Borneo, with small populations in southern Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia. It inhabits primary and well-structured secondary evergreen forests, peat swamp forests, and forest edges. The species is most frequent in intact lowland forest but can persist in selectively logged areas with large trees. It typically keeps to the understory and mid-canopy, working along trunks and large limbs.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The olive-backed woodpecker is a lowland forest specialist of the Sundaic region, often found in mature evergreen and swamp forests. Males show a striking red crest, while females have a darker, less conspicuous crown. It forages methodically on trunks and large branches for ants, termites, and beetle larvae, helping control forest insect populations. Ongoing loss of lowland rainforest is the primary threat to this species.
Olive-backed Woodpecker, Thailand 2023 (photo: Gary L. Clark)
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
undulating flight with rapid wingbeats and short glides
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, occasionally joining mixed-species flocks in the canopy and midstory. Pairs maintain territories year-round and communicate by calls and drumming. They excavate nest cavities in dead or decaying wood; both sexes likely participate in excavation and incubation.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives sharp, ringing kik or kweek notes in short series and rattling calls during territorial displays. Drumming is a short, rapid roll on resonant trunks or branches.
Plumage
Olive-green to olive-brown back and mantle with darker wings showing pale barring; underparts buff to brownish with fine streaking. Head shows a contrasting crest and patterned face; tail is dark and stiff. Plumage is relatively dull compared to other flamebacks, emphasizing the olive-toned mantle.
Diet
Primarily feeds on ants, termites, and beetle larvae extracted from bark, rotting wood, and epiphyte mats. It probes crevices, pecks and chisels into soft or decayed wood, and gleans insects from surfaces. Occasionally takes other small invertebrates and may sample fruits or berries opportunistically.
Preferred Environment
Forages on trunks, snags, and large limbs in mature lowland forest, peat swamps, and well-structured secondary growth. Often uses midstory levels but will descend to lower trunks and stumps where insect activity is high.
