Himalayan Flameback
Dinopium shorii
A large woodpecker with a brilliant orange back, a black stripe through the eye and cheek, and black on the back of the neck. Inhabits mature lowland forest. It looks for invertebrates in trees, meticulously working its way up from the base of the trunk. Not shy; often mixes with other species, especially babblers and laughingthrushes. Very similar to Common Flameback, but the Himalayan Flameback has a longer bill and the cheek stripe splits into two near the bill. The call is a tinny, nasal series of notes similar to those of other flamebacks.
Identification
The Himalayan flameback is very similar in appearance to the Greater Goldenback (Chrysocolaptes lucidus) but they are not at all closely related. The primary differences are its smaller size and bill. The Himalayan flameback can be identified by its black hind neck, and the brownish center on its throat, which can go down the breast on some and is bordered by an irregular black spotting. They also have an indistinct divided moustachial stripe, the center of which is brownish, and sometimes reddish in males. The Himalayan flameback also has either reddish or brown eyes and three toes. The breast of the Himalayan flameback is irregularly streaked with black, but on occasion completely white. Their wings are coppery brown to red. Lastly, the males have a yellowish-red forehead that becomes more red on the crest. In contrast, the female's crest is entirely black and streaked with white. In both sexes, the crest is bordered by white and black bands on either side of their head.
Taxonomy
Part of the family Picidae and the genus Dinopium, which consists of woodpeckers with only three toes, the Himalayan flameback forms a superspecies together with the Common flameback. There are also two recognized sub-species within the Himalayan flameback: D.s. shorii and D.s. anguste. The sister species of the Himalayan flameback are Meiglyptes tristis and Celeus brachyurus. The species epithet honors Frederick John Shore, an East India Company official who sent a specimen of the bird to the Zoological Society of London, where it was described and named by Vigors.
- Scientific name
- Dinopium shorii
- Authority
- (Vigors, 1831)
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Picidae
- Genus
- Dinopium
Range and habitat
Himalayan flamebacks are commonly found in the Indian subcontinent, primarily in the lower-to-middle altitudes of the Himalayan sal forest region. Its range spans Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, and Nepal, where they are year-round residents. A disjunct population also occurs in the south-eastern Ghats. The Himalayan flameback's habitat mainly comprises mature tropical/subtropical deciduous forests as well as semi-evergreen forests. They prefer lowland Ficus and Bombax forests.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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