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Rufous Piculet drumming

on 21st March 2010

Danny Lau came across a pair of Rufous Piculet (Sasia abnormis) in the Panti forest in Johor, Malaysia towards the end of February 2010. He managed to video the male drumming on a rattan palm.

The male Rufous Piculet has a yellow forehead and is the smallest woodpecker around, smaller than a typical flowerpecker. “Observe how the small bird overcomes its size limitation by drumming as a communication tool in addition to calling (relatively soft) to locate or contact his mate,” writes Danny.

In the video, the loud drumming comes from a cell phone playback, loud because it was close to the recording camera. The piculet’s drumming was very much softer because the bird was slightly more than 10 metres away. However, his drumming was distinct to Danny.

With his mate on the opposite side of the track, he was trying to communicate with her by drumming on the rattan’s stem. He was seen moving around the stem, probably to locate the best spot to transmit his message.

Drumming on bamboo stems produce a loud resonance. Palm stem on the other hand is less resonant, but then that was the best then available.

Both sexes are reported to drum, although the male drums more frequently. The drumrolls may differ between the sexes in some species but whether this is so in the Rufous Piculet is not reported.

The image is a video grab.

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

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