Birds of Singapore
by the Bird Society of Singapore
Yungipicus moluccensis
Family: Woodpeckers · Status: Very common resident · Size: 12.5–13 cm · Conservation: Least Concern
Resident across the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and the Greater and Lesser Sundas.
Male has a dark brown crown and ear-coverts, a red streak on the side of the hindcrown (may be hard to see), a bold dark moustachial stripe, and dark brown upperparts with white bars and spots; underparts brownish-white with heavy dark streaking. Bill grey with a paler base. Female is like the male but lacks the red streak. Juvenile is browner and duller with less contrasting patterning.
Parks, gardens, mangroves and coastal areas.
Usually found singly or in pairs; forages by gleaning and probing bark on slender dead branches and twigs, moving slowly.