The size of the Maroon Woodpecker (Blythipicus rubiginosus) is approximately 22–24 cm in length. This woodpecker, though not brightly colored, is an eye-catching and handsome species of bird in the family Picidae. The mantle and back are plain rich burgundy or maroon, along with a faintly barred paler.
Normally the throat is grayish, the chest is dull brown-blackish, and there are some reddish feather tips on the breast. Most of the head is olive-brown with paler feather tips, and the ear-coverts dusky. It has mostly rusty wings with browner coverts, some pale chevrons on tips, and faint barring on flight feathers and tertials, and the underwing is brown.
The beautiful chocolate color of the tail is indistinctly barred and pale. It has a relatively long bill, mostly mustard or cream, greener at the broad base. Iris chestnut, orbital ring bluish with legs are gray-black. Both sexes are different. The male bird has a crimson nape that extends to neck-sides and is sometimes rufous on the lower cheek; the female lacks distinct red, browner overall, sometimes with a rufous tinge on the neck.
Read About: Nuttall’s Woodpecker
Juvenile are similar to adults, though paler above, often with a rufous or orange hue, and darker iris; juveniles of both sexes have some red on the crown, and males may show more on the nape and neck-sides than adults.
The call of Maroon Woodpecker consists of the various metallic, squeaky, single pit, pick, kik or kyuk notes, when doubled, kik-ik or pick-ik, the second syllable pitches higher than the first and inflected upwards. Sometimes these notes are threaded into fast shrill series, sometimes strung out into longer series.
However, the song of Maroon woodpecker consists of up to 13–14 slowing, high-pitched notes: keek-eek-eek-eek-eek. The call is louder, with a falling series of 8–11 trilling chat notes and squeakier keekik or chikickick with the second syllable higher-pitched. The drumming of Maroon Woodpecker may not drum, or possibly only rarely, but exact information lacking. It is not uncommon locally but found in several areas (such as the Sundas), where extensive logging continues and is thus surely affected. However, it is probably extirpated from Singapore. The habits of Maroon Woodpecker are a mature, closed evergreen rainforest with dense under-story and plenty of rotten timber, often by watercourses.
Also, its secondary growth occurs under bamboo stands and in a number of areas rubber and albizia plantations. Its range is Southeast Asia. Rather restricted, from very South of Burma (Myanmar) through Thai-Malay Peninsula and on Sumatra and Borneo. Lowlands and mid-elevations, but on the last two islands to 2100 m, more common above 1400 m and appearing to replace Bay Woodpecker. That is resident and sedentary.
The taxonomy and variation are Monotypic, with slight regional differences in plumage. The birds found on Sumatra and Borneo are often smaller than on the mainland. Therefore, the similar species are Sympatric Bay Woodpecker is also dark with a pale bill and red nape, but is strongly barred and visibly larger.
On poor views, perhaps Rufous Woodpecker. Maroon Woodpecker diet and foraging mainly insect larvae. The woodpecker feeds rather secretively, low in rainforest under-story, on dead and live trees, snags, and stumps, in pairs or alone.
