We investigated the microhabitat preferences and relative abundances of 13 species of woodpecker in Sungai Lalang Forest Reserve, West Malaysia. The availability of suitable microhabitat corresponded strongly with woodpecker abundance, and snags were the most highly preferred foraging substrate across species and study sites. Large amounts of necromass, including snags, were present in 5-y-old logged and unlogged forest, but dead wood was in low abundance in 10-y-old logged forest. The absence or scarcity of large, snag-foraging woodpeckers from older logged stands suggests that this resource may remain in low abundance for a considerable time.

We investigated the foraging ecology of 13 species of woodpecker in logged and unlogged lowland rain forest at two forest reserves in West Malaysia (Pasoh Forest Reserve and Sungai Lalang Forest Reserve). The parameters perch diameter and microhabitat/substrate type explained more variation in the data than other parameters, and effectively divided the guild into two groups: (1) ‘conventional’ – species that excavated frequently, used relatively large perches, and foraged on snags and patches of dead wood, and (2) ‘novel’ – species that used smaller perches and microhabitats that are available in tropical forests on a year-round basis (e.g. external, arboreal ant/termite nests and bamboo). These novel resources may explain, in part, the maintenance of high woodpecker diversity in tropical rain forests.