Scientific Name: Dicaeum cruentatum
Malay Name: Sepah-Puteri Belakang Merah
Chinese Name: 朱背啄花鸟
Range: Found from the Himalayan foothills to Southern China, mainland Southeast Asia, Sumatra and Borneo.
Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: cruentatum, sumatranum, niasense, batuense, simalurense, nigrimentum.
Local Subspecies: cruentatum
Size: 8.5-9 cm
Identification: Male looks distinctive with bright red upperparts, blackish head-/breast-sides and blue-blackish wings contrasting with the mostly white underparts. Female is a drab brown with a bright red rump and uppertail-coverts. Juvenile resembles female but has a red-pink based lower mandible and uniform upperparts with orange-tinged uppertail-coverts.
Habitat: Parks, gardens, wooded areas, secondary growth and forest edge.
Behaviour/Ecology: Feeds on flowers and fruits
Local Status: Very common resident
Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)
Location: Suitable habitats like Bidadari, Singapore Botanic Gardens, Chinese/Japanese Gardens, Pasir Ris Park, Sungei Buloh, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Bukit Batok Nature Park and Central Catchment Forest.
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page
Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link
Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link
eBird Species page: eBird (Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker)
References:
BirdLife International. (2016). Dicaeum cruentatum. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22717584A94540930.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023
Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.
RECOMMENDED CITATION
Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker. Retrieved on November 5, 2024 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/scarlet-backed-flowerpecker.