Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker

This species is defined as a Review Species. Please submit your records of this species via our record submission page.

Scientific Name: Prionochilus thoracicus
Malay Name: Sepah-Puteri Belakang Kuning
Chinese Name: 赤胸锯齿啄花鸟

Range:
Found from the Thai-Malay Peninsula to Sumatra and Borneo.

Taxonomy:
Monotypic.

Size: 10 cm

Identification:
Parrot-like bill that is stouter than in any other local flowerpeckers. Male has black head with a small red crown patch, bright red breast with black border, yellowish body and black wings and tail. Female has greyish head, whitish throat and yellowish underparts. Juvenile has more greyish-olive underparts than female.

Habitat: Forest and secondary growth.

Behaviour/Ecology: Mainly or completely frugivorous.

Local Status: Very rare non-breeding visitor

Conservation Status: Near Threatened (BirdLife International 2016)

Featured articles:

Featured reports: Apr 2022, May 2022

Past accepted records in our database:

Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker (female) from Mersing, Malaysia. Photo credits: John Hio
Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker (male) from Mersing, Malaysia. Photo credits: Vincent Ng
External Links:
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page
Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link
Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link
eBird Species page: eBird (Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker)
References:
BirdLife International. (2016). Prionochilus thoracicus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22717466A94533424.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023
Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.
Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula (Vol. 1). Academic Press, London.