About the Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
The scarlet-backed flowerpecker is a species of passerine bird in the flowerpecker family Dicaeidae. Sexually dimorphic, the male has navy blue upperparts with a bright red streak down its back from its crown to its tail coverts, while the female and juvenile are predominantly olive green. It is found in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and occasionally gardens in a number of countries throughout South and East Asia.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
Measuring 9 cm (3.5 in) and weighing 7 to 8 grams (0.25 to 0.28 oz), the scarlet-backed flowerpecker is a small bird with a short tail. It exhibits sexual dimorphism. The male has a navy blue face, wings and tail, with a broad bright red stripe from its crown to its upper tail coverts. The female is predominantly olive green with a black tail and scarlet upper tail coverts and rump. Both sexes have creamy white underparts, black eyes and legs, and a dark grey arched bill. The juvenile has plumage similar to the female but has an orange bill and lacks the bright red rump.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Nepal.
When to see it
Peak activity in December · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Nilgiri FlowerpeckerDicaeum concolorThese birds are tiny (9 cm long) and there is no marked difference between the males and females.
Fire-breasted FlowerpeckerDicaeum ignipectusThe fire-breasted flowerpecker is a small flowerpecker with a small and dark bill.
Orange-bellied FlowerpeckerDicaeum trigonostigmaMale is distinctive, and shows slaty-blue upperparts (crown/nape/wings/tail) except for a large triangular orange patch on the mantle.
Side by side: Pale-billed Flowerpecker vs Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker · Mistletoebird vs Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
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