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The buff-spotted flameback (''Chrysocolaptes lucidus'') is a species of
bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...
in the family
Picidae Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar and the extreme polar regions. ...
. It is found on the
Philippine The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
islands of
Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol (; ), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands. It is home to Bohola ...
,
Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has been ...
,
Samar Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...
,
Biliran Biliran, officially the Province of Biliran (Waray language, Waray-Waray: ''Probinsya han Biliran''; ; ), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region (Region VIII). Biliran is one of ...
, Panaon,
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...
,
Basilan Basilan, officially the Province of Basilan (; ; ; ), is an island province of the Philippines located primarily in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. Basilan Island is the largest and northernmost of the major islands of the Sulu Archipelago ...
, and Samal. Along with the other Philippine species,
Yellow-faced flameback The yellow-faced flameback (''Chrysocolaptes xanthocephalus'') is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found on the Philippine islands of Negros and Panay. It is extinct on Guimaras, Masbate, and Ticao (extinct) . It is one of the most ...
, Luzon flameback, Red-headed flameback, it was formerly conspecific
greater flameback The greater flameback (''Chrysocolaptes guttacristatus''), also known as the greater goldenback or large golden-backed woodpecker, is a woodpecker species. It occurs widely in the northern Indian subcontinent, eastwards to southern China, the Mal ...


Description

EBird eBird is an online database of bird observations providing scientists, researchers and amateur naturalists with real-time data about bird distribution and abundance. Originally restricted to sightings from the Western Hemisphere, the project e ...
describes the bird as "A large woodpecker of forest with a dense understory from the lowlands to the lower mountains in the southern Philippines. Orange to reddish on the back, and dark below with heavy cream-colored spotting. Neck is spotted with buff. Note the crown sloping to an angular crest, which is bright red in males and orange with spots in the female. Unmistakable. The only other similarly sized woodpecker in range is Southern Sooty-Woodpecker, which is entirely dark. Voice includes a loud, metallic rattling trill."


Taxonomy

This species is part of the
Greater flameback The greater flameback (''Chrysocolaptes guttacristatus''), also known as the greater goldenback or large golden-backed woodpecker, is a woodpecker species. It occurs widely in the northern Indian subcontinent, eastwards to southern China, the Mal ...
species complex which has now been split into 8 distinct species. This species differs from its most closely related Luzon flameback as females have dirty crowns in females, a heavily spotted throat and belly.


Subspecies

Three
subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
are recognized: * ''C.l. lucidus'' – Found on
Zamboanga Peninsula Zamboanga Peninsula (; ; ) is an administrative region in Mindanao, Philippines, designated as Region IX. It consists of the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Sur, and the cities of Isabela and Zamboang ...
and
Basilan Basilan, officially the Province of Basilan (; ; ; ), is an island province of the Philippines located primarily in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. Basilan Island is the largest and northernmost of the major islands of the Sulu Archipelago ...
; Red back * ''C.l. montanus'' –Found on
Samal island Samal, officially the Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCOS; ; ) is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Davao del Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it ...
and
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...
except
Zamboanga Peninsula Zamboanga Peninsula (; ; ) is an administrative region in Mindanao, Philippines, designated as Region IX. It consists of the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Sur, and the cities of Isabela and Zamboang ...
; Pale gold back and slightly smaller * ''C.l. rufopunctatus'' – Found on
Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol (; ), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands. It is home to Bohola ...
,
Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has been ...
and
Samar Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...
; Red face and darker red back


Ecology and behavior

Pressumably feeds on insects and wood boring larvae. Typically seen in pairs or family parties and may sometimes associate with
White-bellied woodpecker The white-bellied woodpecker or great black woodpecker (''Dryocopus javensis'') is a woodpecker species inhabiting evergreen forests in tropical Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is among the largest of the Asiatic woodpeckers and nests ...
and Southern sooty woodpecker. Buff-spotted flamebacks, like other woodpeckers, drum—meaning rapidly tap their beak against objects such as dead trees—to attract mates. This species has one of the longest drums, averaging about 51 beats per drum. Nests in tree cavities. Breeding is believed to occur from January to May. The very similar
Greater flameback The greater flameback (''Chrysocolaptes guttacristatus''), also known as the greater goldenback or large golden-backed woodpecker, is a woodpecker species. It occurs widely in the northern Indian subcontinent, eastwards to southern China, the Mal ...
lays 2 to 5 eggs which incubate in 2 weeks and fledge within a month.


Habitat and conservation status

It is found in tropical moist lowland forest with dense understory up to 1,500 meters above sea level IUCN has assessed this bird as
least-concern species A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...
but the population is decreasing. This species' main threat is
habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...
with wholesale clearance of forest habitats as a result of logging, agricultural conversion and mining activities occurring within the range. The most affected part of its range is
Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol (; ), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands. It is home to Bohola ...
which only has 4% forest cover remaining. Occurs in a few protected areas like
Pasonanca Natural Park The Pasonanca Natural Park is a List of protected areas of the Philippines, protected area that preserves a major watershed in the southern Philippines, Philippine island of Mindanao in the Zamboanga Peninsula. It contains the headwaters of the ...
,
Mount Apo Mount Apo is the highest mountain peak in the Philippines, with an elevation of above sea level. A large solfataric, dormant stratovolcano, it is part of the Apo-Talomo Mountain Range of Mindanao island. Apo is situated on the tripartite b ...
and
Mount Kitanglad Mount Kitanglad is an inactive volcano located in the Kitanglad Mountain Range in Bukidnon province on Mindanao island. It is the fourth highest mountain in the Philippines and has an approximate height of . It is located between Malaybalay a ...
on Mindanao,
Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape The Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape is a protected landscape area of forested limestone hills, grasslands and natural springs in the island province of Bohol in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. It is the largest remaining tract of ...
in Bohol and
Samar Island Natural Park The Samar Island Natural Park, in Samar, is the largest contiguous tract of old-growth forest in the Philippines. It is the country's largest terrestrial protected area, with an area of . The buffer is spread north to south over the island's three ...
but actual protection and enforcement from
illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase, or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a p ...
and hunting are lax


References

*Collar, N.J. 2011. Species limits in some Philippine birds including the Greater Flameback Chrysocolaptes lucidus. Forktail number 27: 29–38. * buff-spotted flameback Endemic birds of the Philippines Fauna of Bohol Fauna of Leyte Fauna of Samar Fauna of Biliran Fauna of Mindanao Fauna of Basilan buff-spotted flameback {{woodpecker-stub