Common Flameback vs Red-backed Flameback

Common Flameback

Dinopium javanense

Medium73 gWoodland

Males and females differ in the crest colour, as males have a bright red crest while females have a black crest with white streaks. Both sexes have a white supercilium, white cheek stripe, and white throat area, all separated by stripes of black, and they have a spotted black and white underside. The bird is distinguishable from other similar golden-backed woodpeckers, such as the greater flameback (Chrysocolaptes guttacristatus), by its smaller bill and black nape, and from the black-rumped flameback by its red rump and white throat. Voice: The common flameback is a relatively quiet species, who rarely produces noise despite being able to produce many different sounds. Although it belongs to the woodpecker family, it surprisingly rarely drums on wood, as it has a different foraging behaviour.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Samuel Lee · CC BY 4.0

Red-backed Flameback

Dinopium psarodes

Medium97 gWoodland

About 28 centimetres (11 in) in length. Mostly crimson with black trailing edges to wings. underparts white with messy black marks. The breast and neck are black with white spots on the throat and white streaks on the breast. A black eyestripe stretches to the back of the neck and diffuses into the nape and upper back, with white streaks between the eye and neck. It has a red crown, with the forecrown and forehead black speckled with white in females. The eye is hidden among the black eyestripe. It has a fairly sized grey bill, which forms a blunt point.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Mickey Wu · CC BY 4.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Common Flameback and Red-backed Flameback.