Rufous piculet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rufous piculet |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Sasia
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| Species: |
abnormis
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The rufous piculet (Sasia abnormis) is a tiny bird that belongs to the Picidae family. This family includes all the woodpeckers!
You can find this special bird in countries like Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand. It loves to live in warm, wet forests, both in low areas and on mountains.
Guess what? It's one of the smallest woodpeckers in the world! It's also the smallest woodpecker found outside of North and South Americas. These little birds are usually about 8 to 10 cm (3 to 4 in) long. They weigh around 9.2 g (0.32 oz), which is about as much as two quarters!
Contents
Meet the Rufous Piculet
The rufous piculet is a very small bird. It has short wings and a tail that is almost impossible to see. Its body is usually green with a hint of bronze. Its belly is a warm orange or cinnamon color.
Male vs. Female Piculets
Male and female rufous piculets look a little different.
- Males have a bright yellow or golden spot on their forehead.
- Females have a bronze spot instead.
- Females also have a slightly larger beak than males.
Both sexes have a blackish upper beak and a yellowish lower beak. Their eyes are reddish, and they have a pinkish ring of skin around each eye. Their legs and feet are yellowish or orange. Unlike most woodpeckers, which have four toes, the rufous piculet has only three toes on each foot! Young piculets look a bit more grey than the adults.
Where It Lives
The rufous piculet lives in the warm, tropical parts of Southeast Asia. You can find it from southern Myanmar, through Thailand and the Malay Peninsula, all the way to the big islands of Sunda and Borneo.
This bird usually stays in one area and does not migrate. It prefers to live in lowlands and hills. In Borneo, it can be found up to about 1,600 m (5,200 ft) high. Its favorite home is thick, wet forests with lots of tangled plants, vines, bamboo, and old, rotting trees. It often lives near streams.
What It Eats and How It Lives
The rufous piculet is a very active bird. It usually moves alone or in small groups. They stay close to the ground, usually not higher than 5 m (16 ft).
Hunting for Food
These birds search for food on tree trunks, dead branches, vines, bushes, and even in tall grasses. They are very careful hunters. They poke into holes and pull out insects with their long tongues. Sometimes, a group of piculets will work together. They move up a tree trunk in a zigzag pattern, flying short distances to turn around.
Their diet includes:
- Ants and their young
- Termites
- Small beetles
- Spiders
- Other tiny invertebrates (small creatures without backbones)
Reproduction and Life Cycle
In Borneo, the rufous piculet's breeding season is in February. In Malaysia, young birds have been seen in May and June. They build their nests in holes. Sometimes, they use a hole in a dead branch. Other times, they might make a nest inside a bamboo stalk.
Its Conservation Status
The rufous piculet is a fairly common bird. It lives across a very large area, estimated to be nearly 5,000,000 km2 (2,000,000 sq mi). Its home stretches from sea level up to about 1,370 m (4,500 ft).
Scientists do not know of any major threats to this bird. Its population seems to be stable. Because of this, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed its conservation status as "least concern". This means it is not currently at risk of disappearing.
