About Hemicircus concretus (Temminck, 1821)
This species, the grey-and-buff woodpecker, has a plump body and a short rounded tail, reaching an adult length of about 13.5 cm (5.3 in). Its head looks large because it has a slender neck and a large, cone-shaped crest. Most of the head is grey, with a fine white wavy line that runs from the cheek to the mantle. Male birds have a red forehead and a grey crest, while both the forehead and crest are grey in females. The upper parts of the body and the wings are blackish; the edges of the feathers are white or buff, which creates a scalloped pattern. The underparts are grey, the tail and underwing are dark, and the legs are grey or brown. The beak is long, slender, and grey with a black tip, and the iris is chestnut. A gland with an unknown function is located on the bird's back, and its secretions sometimes stain the white rump. This woodpecker is native to tropical southeastern Asia. Its distribution range extends from southern Myanmar, peninsular Thailand, and peninsular Malaysia to Sumatra and Borneo. It is a resident species that inhabits lowland and mid-elevation evergreen rainforests, especially clearings and forest edges. It can also be found in plantations, bamboo thickets, cleared areas, wooded urban areas, and cultivated land. The grey-and-buff woodpecker is usually seen alone or in pairs, but it sometimes joins mixed-species foraging flocks in the canopy. It feeds mainly by gleaning rather than drilling into wood, and its diet includes insects and fruit, such as mistletoe (Loranthus) berries. At night, these birds roost communally in shallow holes that they excavate close to one another in dead wood. Nesting occurs in deeper holes or crevices, and the breeding season falls between December and July.
