Gould remarked that in his account of the Sasia ochracea (Asia, V, pl.40) he had neglected to comment on the unusual structure of the piculet's feet, which had three instead of four toes. The hind toe and claw were very long to enable the piculets to cling to small branches of fallen trees in the dense forests. They depended upon finding insects by moving about on low branches, as their tails were too tiny to give support for climbing, and their wings too feeble for flying any great distance.
Specimens of the piculet were brought to England from the peninsula of Malacca by the zoologist, Dr Alfred Wallace, who was in Malaysia from 1848 to 1852.
The piculets are depicted lifesize.
DISTRIBUTION: Southeastern Asia: southern Burma and southern Thailand south through Malaya to Sumatra, Borneo and central and western Java