Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker

Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker

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.

Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (male) from Pasir Ris Park. Photo credits: Francis Yap
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (male) from Sungei Buloh. Photo credits: Francis Yap
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (female). Photo credits: Lawrence Neo
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (female). Photo credits: Lawrence Neo
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (female). Photo credits: Lawrence Neo
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (male) from Jelutong Tower. Photo credits: Francis Yap
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (male) from Jelutong Tower. Photo credits: Francis Yap
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (male) from Jelutong Tower. Photo credits: Francis Yap
External Links:

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 December 17, 2024 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/scarlet-backed-flowerpecker.

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