Family Flowerpeckers (Dicaeidae)
Least Concern
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum cruentatum)
Taxonomy
French: Dicée à dos rouge German: Scharlachmistelfresser Spanish: Picaflores dorsirrojo
Taxonomy:
Certhia cruentata
Linnaeus
, 1758,Bengal, India
.Subspecies and Distribution
D. c. cruentatum
(Linnaeus, 1758) – E Nepal, NE India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and S China (SE Xizang, S Yunnan E, including Hainan, to Fujian), S to Thailand and Indochina.
D. c. ignitum
(Begbie, 1834) – Peninsular Malaysia and Riau Archipelago.
D. c. sumatranum
Cabanis, 1877 – #RSumatra and some satellites.
D. c. simalurense
Salomonsen, 1961 – Simeulue I, off NW Sumatra.
D. c. niasense
Meyer de Schauensee & Ripley, 1940 – Nias I, off W Sumatra.
D. c. batuense
Richmond, 1912 – Batu Is and Mentawai Is, off SW Sumatra.
D. c. nigrimentum
Salvadori, 1874 – Borneo.
Descriptive notes
7–9 cm; male 5·5–8 g, one female 6 g. Male nominate race has crown to back and rump deep red, side of head black, upperwing and tail glossy blue-black;... read more
Voice
Call “chip-chip”, sometimes repeated; also a loud, staccato, clicking “tchik-... read more
Habitat
Variety of forest types, including mangroves, heath forest and alluvial forest, regenerating forest... read more
Food and feeding
Fruits, including berries of Mutingia calabura and Melastoma malabathricum, figs (Ficus) and mistletoes (... read more
Breeding
Mar–Aug (chiefly May and Jun) in Nepal and India, Feb–Apr in Myanmar, Jan–Apr and Jul in Thailand, Jan–Jun in... read more
Movements
Probably makes seasonal altitudinal movements in higher parts of range.
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened. Rare in Nepal and Bhutan; locally common, or common to very common, in NE India (especially in Calcutta area and Assam), Bangladesh, plains and hills... read more
Has hybridized with D. trochileum in E Borneo (Samarinda), and hybrid between present species and D. ignipectus recorded in SE China (Fujian). Some races well differentiated, but situation complicated by presence of non-geographical colour morphs “pryeri” (mainly Malay Peninsula and N Borneo) and “hosii” (Borneo); race ignitum poorly differentiated, possibly better merged with nominate#R; in addition, named races erythronotum (China), siamense (from Lat Bua Kao, in E Thailand), coccinea (China) and hainanum (Hainan) all subsumed into nominate. Population in N Borneo (Sabah) possibly represents an as yet undescribed race. Seven subspecies currently recognized.