Scientific Name: Dinopium psarodes

IUCN Status: Least Concern

Other Names: Red-backed flameback, Lesser Sri Lanka flameback, Sri Lanka red-backed woodpecker, Ceylon red-backed woodpecker

The only Dinopium species that dons a red flame-like back. A red cloaked woodpecker that is mostly crimson in appearance but embellished with mixed black and white underparts that do not show any pattern, but imparts a “messy” mosaic design. A black eye-stripe encapsulates the eye and extends to the nape and upper back. The lesser flameback has a red crown, with the female of the species having a forecrown speckled with white marks. A woodpecker that was first identified by Legge as an endemic species in Sri Lanka, was elevated to a full species in a recent ornithological study.

Although showing a dietary preference for ants, the lesser flameback also shows a penchant to feed on spiders and caterpillars. The lesser flameback forages alone, in pairs and in groups, and can be encountered in mixed species groupings. A loud ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ki that quickens and ends in a trill, is the characteristic call of this species of woodpecker.

The lesser flameback makes cavity-enclosures on trees for breeding purposes, with no preference of tree heights. The lesser flameback is the most common woodpecker species found in Sri Lanka.

Source: E-Bird and Wikipedia