Black-rumped Flameback
Scientific Name: Dinopium benghalense
Category: bird
Brief Description
A golden-backed woodpecker species native to the Indian subcontinent, characterized by a bright red crest, golden-yellow back, and heavily patterned black-and-white underparts.
Characteristics
Medium-sized woodpecker (about 26-29 cm long) with a prominent crimson-red crest and hindneck. The upperparts are golden-yellow to olive-yellow, the rump is black (distinguishing it from some other flamebacks), and the underparts are whitish with bold black scaling or chevron markings. It has a long, chisel-like dark bill and stiff tail feathers used for propping against tree trunks.
Habitat
Open forests, deciduous and semi-evergreen forests, secondary growth, plantations, rural gardens, and urban areas with mature trees.
When to Find It
Active year-round, most easily observed during morning hours when they actively forage on tree trunks and branches.
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Ecological Role
Acts as an important predator of wood-boring insects and ants, helping to control pest populations. Their nesting cavities also provide crucial secondary homes for other cavity-nesting birds and small mammals.
Easily Confused With
Greater Flameback (Chrysocolaptes guttacristatus) which has a red rump matching its back instead of a black rump, and Common Flameback where ranges overlap.
Observation Tips
Listen for their loud, rattling calls and rapid drumming on tree trunks. Use binoculars and approach quietly to avoid startling them.
Interesting Facts
Like other woodpeckers, they possess a specialized hyoid apparatus—a long tongue bone wrapped around their skull that can extend far out to catch insects in deep tree crevices.