Greater Flameback
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| Greater Flameback | ||||||||||||||
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| Chrysocolaptes lucidus (Scopoli, 1786) |
The Greater Flameback, Chrysocolaptes lucidus, is a woodpecker which is a widespread and common resident breeder from the Indian subcontinent eastwards through tropical southern Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia.
This flameback is a species associated with fairly open forest. It nests in a tree hole, laying three or four white eggs.
Like other woodpeckers, this species has a straight pointed bill, a stiff tail to provide support against tree trunks, and zygodactyl or “yoked" feet, with two toes pointing forward, and two backward. The long tongue can be darted forward to capture insects, but Greater Flameback will also take nectar.
The Greater Flameback is a large species at 33cm in length. It is a typical woodpecker shape, and has a golden yellow back and wings. The rump is red and the tail is black. The underparts are white with dark chevron markings. The head is whitish with a black nape and throat, and there is a black eye patch. Unlike Black-rumped Flameback, Dinopium benghalense, it has a dark moustache stripe, and the black of the eye patch is joined to that of the nape.
The adult male Greater Flameback has a red crown. Females have a black crown, spotted with white. Young birds are like the female, but duller.
The Sri Lankan subspecies, C. l. stricklandi, has a crimson back. It is sometimes considered a separate species from the Indian form.
Reference
- Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, ISBN 0-691-04910-6