Chrysocolaptes lucidus
The Buff-spotted Flameback, often more commonly known as the Spot-throated Flameback, *Chrysocolaptes lucidus*, is a strikingly marked large woodpecker endemic to the Philippines. Measuring approximately 28-30 cm (11-12 inches) in length and weighing around 150-200 grams, it boasts a vibrant flame-red back and wings, contrasting sharply with a black rump and tail. Its underparts are white with black barring, but the most distinctive field mark is its intricately patterned head: black and whit...
This flameback primarily inhabits various types of forest, including lowland primary and secondary broadleaf forests, forest edge, and sometimes mangrove fringes. It can be found from sea-level up to elevations of approximately 1,500 meters (4,900 feet).
Its diet consists predominantly of insects, particularly the larvae and adults of wood-boring beetles, ants, and termites, which it extracts from dead or decaying wood. Occasionally, it may also consume fruits or nectar.
The Buff-spotted Flameback is a diurnal and largely arboreal species, often observed singly or in pairs foraging on the trunks and large branches of trees. They employ typical woodpecker foraging strategies, including chiseling, drilling, and probing into bark and rotten wood to extract prey. Bot...
The Buff-spotted Flameback (*Chrysocolaptes lucidus*) is an endemic resident species found throughout the Philippines archipelago. Its distribution spans numerous islands, including Luzon, Polillo, Catanduanes, Marinduque, Mindoro, Sibuyan, Ticao, Masbate, Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Mindanao, Ba...
Least Concern
- The name 'flameback' perfectly describes the brilliant, often fiery-red, plumage on the backs of species in the genus *Chrysocolaptes*. - Its remarkably long, barbed tongue can extend far beyond its bill, enabling it to probe deep into crevices to extract insect larvae. - The Buff-spotted Flame...