Dicaeum australe
The Red-keeled Flowerpecker (Dicaeum australe) is a captivating jewel of the Philippine avifauna, a tiny passerine bird reaching merely 8-9 cm in length and weighing around 6-8 grams. Males are particularly striking, showcasing a brilliant scarlet-red stripe, or "keel," extending from the chin down the center of their white underparts, contrasting sharply with their glossy olive-green upperparts and short, black tail and bill. Females are duller, lacking the bright red keel and having more su...
This species primarily inhabits lowland and mid-montane forests, forest edges, secondary growth, and even cultivated areas such as coconut plantations. It is typically found at elevations ranging from sea level up to about 1,000 meters.
The diet of the Red-keeled Flowerpecker is predominantly composed of small fruits, particularly mistletoe berries, supplemented by nectar, pollen, and tiny insects and spiders. They forage actively, extracting pulp from berries and consuming small invertebrates.
Red-keeled Flowerpeckers are highly active, diurnal birds, constantly flitting through the canopy and sub-canopy in search of food. Their foraging strategies involve quick, precise movements to pluck berries and insects from foliage, often hanging upside down to access ripe fruits. They are gener...
The Red-keeled Flowerpecker is endemic to the Philippines, where it is a widespread and common resident across many of the major islands. Its distribution spans the entire archipelago, including Luzon, Mindanao, the Visayan islands (such as Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Negros, Panay, Samar), Palawan, and ...
Least Concern
- The Red-keeled Flowerpecker possesses a highly specialized digestive tract designed to quickly pass mistletoe berries, allowing it to efficiently digest the pulp and excrete the sticky seeds. - Its strong dependence on mistletoe means it plays a critical role as a primary disperser of these par...