Common Flameback

About the Common Flameback

The common flameback (Dinopium javanense), also referred to as the common goldenback, is a small (28–30 cm), three-toed woodpecker in the family Picidae, found throughout South and Southeast Asia. The common flameback is closely related with almost all members of the Dinopium species, which include 4 other species; the Himalayan flameback (D. shorii), the spot-throated flameback (D. everetti), the black-rumped flameback (D. benghalense), and the red-backed flameback (D. psarodes). The olive-backed woodpecker (Gecinulus rafflesii) was formerly classified in Dinopium but is more closely related to the pale-headed woodpecker (Gecinulus grantia), and was thus reclassified into Gecinulus.

The common flameback is most closely related to the Himalayan flameback and the spot-throated flameback, even being lumped with the spot-throated flameback until recently. These two species differ in the degree of spottiness, as despite their names, the common flameback has a higher degree of spotting on the upper breast than the plain upper breast of spot-throated flameback. Additionally, the common flameback shares a unique morphological feature with two other woodpeckers, this being the... Wikipedia →