Luzon Flameback

Chrysocolaptes haematribon

A large woodpecker of lowland and foothill wooded areas on Luzon and neighboring islands, with a red back, a yellowish belly with indistinct patterning, and black on the tail, edge to the wing, neck, and chest. Note the obvious white spotting on the chest, neck, and line behind the eye. Angled crest is black with white spots in the female and red in the male. Unmistakable. The only other similarly sized woodpecker in its range is Northern Sooty-Woodpecker, which is entirely dark. Voice includes a series of short ringing notes, “ki-ki-ki-ki-ki!”

Identification

Large sized woodpecker with a red back hence the name and a yellowish belly. Males and females are sexually dimorphic. Males have a red crest while the females have a more drab black crest with white spots.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Chrysocolaptes haematribon
Authority
(Wagler, 1827)
Order
Piciformes
Family
Picidae
Genus
Chrysocolaptes

Range and habitat

Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests and less often on tropical moist montane forests up to 1,500 masl. It is threatened by habitat loss, and the illegal wildlife trade. It is possibly extinct on Marinduque

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

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