Birds of Singapore
by the Bird Society of Singapore
Picus vittatus
Family: Woodpeckers · Status: Common resident · Size: 27–33 cm · Conservation: Least Concern
Resident from southern China south through Indochina and the Thai-Malay Peninsula, and east through Sumatra, Java, and Bali.
Male has olive-green upperparts, black tail, red crown and nape with thin black border along sides of crown, black submoustachial stripe usually with fine white streaks, and pale grey ear-coverts. Yellow breast fades to greenish-white on the lower belly and vent with chevron-shaped olive-green markings. Female resembles male but has the red crown and nape replaced with black. Juvenile is duller with more diffuse underpart markings; young males show orange-red rather than pure red on the crown.
Forest edge, secondary growth, mangroves, coastal scrub, and gardens; also forages in bamboo and on the ground in open wooded areas.
Forages at lower levels than most other local woodpeckers, occasionally descending to the ground.