Woodpeckers (Picidae)

10 species in Singapore.

Woodpeckers (Picidae) have strong feet with curved claws, stiff tail feathers used to support them as they climb vertically, and powerful neck muscles for drilling into wood. Found across most of the world but absent from Australia, New Guinea, Madagascar, and polar regions, they occupy forest and woodland, with a few adapted to open and rocky terrain. Most forage on bark and timber for insects, though some also take fruit or sap. They excavate nest holes in dead trees, which are later reused by other cavity-nesting birds.

Most are resident species, with some visitors that stray from our neighbouring forests. Common Flameback and Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker are the most regularly encountered. All are relatively easy to identify, with distinctive structure and colouration. Banded Woodpecker is superficially similar to Crimson-winged Woodpecker but has a different underpart colour. Common and Greater Flameback differ in their face pattern and iris colour.

Singapore's resident woodpeckers can be found in a variety of habitats, ranging from parks and gardens to forest. Banded and Laced Woodpecker have a preference for more wooded areas, while Common Flameback, Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker, and Rufous Woodpecker are more regularly encountered outside forest. The visitor species are rare and have a preference for forests – except Greater Flameback, which is primarily coastal in the Thai-Malay Peninsula.

Woodpeckers forage on tree trunks, branches, fallen logs, and sometimes the ground, probing, tapping, and chiselling bark for insects. They are typically seen alone or in pairs; some join mixed-species flocks. Often rather vocal, their loud and piercing advertising calls can often be heard from afar.