CreatureData

Crimson-backed flameback

Chrysocolaptes stricklandi (E. L. Layard, 1854)

LCLeast Concernbirds

The crimson-backed flameback (Chrysocolaptes stricklandi) is a species in the family Picidae, order Piciformes. Recorded adults weigh 138 g to 211 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Crimson-backed flameback (Chrysocolaptes stricklandi)
Photo: Matthew Blissett · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the crimson-backed flameback

Weight
138 g – 211 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
woodlandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
14.8 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
3.2src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the crimson-backed flameback live?

Not recorded

What is the crimson-backed flameback?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The crimson-backed flameback or greater Sri Lanka flameback (Chrysocolaptes stricklandi) is a species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae that is endemic to Sri Lanka.

The crimson-backed flameback and the greater flameback (Chrysocolaptes guttacristatus) were both formerly considered as subspecies of the buff-spotted flameback (Chrysocolaptes lucidus).

Nigel Collar (2011, p. 33) notes the differences between Chrysocolaptes stricklandi and Chrysocolaptes guttacristatus as being that the former has a crimson rather than golden upper body plumage, a yellow rather than a black beak, a weaker supramoustachial stripe and a less noticeable, even spotty, eyebrow stripe.

From the Wikipedia article “Crimson-backed flameback” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Crimson-backed_flameback&oldid=1383721897), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the crimson-backed flameback endangered?

The crimson-backed flameback is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the crimson-backed flameback classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPiciformes
  5. familyPicidae
  6. genusChrysocolaptes
  7. SpeciesChrysocolaptes stricklandi (E. L. Layard, 1854)

Synonyms Brachypternus stricklandi, Chrysocolaptes lucidus stricklandi

Other names and names in other languages (29)
  • Greater crimson-backed flamebackEnglish
  • Greater Sri Lanka flamebackEnglish
  • picot sultà de Sri LankaCatalan
  • Pica-soques Sultà d'Sri LankaCatalan
  • datel srílanskýCzech
  • Sri Lanka-sultanspætteDanish
  • CeylonsultanspechtGerman
  • srilanka flampegoEsperanto
  • Pito sultán de CeilánSpanish
  • Pic de CeylanFrench
  • cejlonska žunaCroatian
  • Picchio dorso di fiamma di Sri LankaItalian
  • Picchio dorso di fiamma dello Sri LankaItalian
  • セアカコガネゲラJapanese
  • Raudonnugaris sultoninis genysLithuanian
  • Ceylonese GoudrugspechtDutch
  • karminryggspettNorwegian
  • sułtan szkarłatnyPolish
  • peto-cingalêsPortuguese
  • pica-pau-sultão-do-ceilãoPortuguese
  • Красноспинный дятел-султанRussian
  • Красноспинный султанский дятелRussian
  • zlatoš cejlónskySlovak
  • Tamna vatroleđa žunaSerbian
  • rödryggig sultanspettSwedish
  • Seylan AlevsırtıTurkish
  • дзьобак багрянокрилийUkrainian
  • 桂紅金背啄木Chinese
  • 绯红背啄木鸟Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the crimson-backed flameback

Other species in the same genus Chrysocolaptes.

NT, Near Threatened

Javan flameback

Chrysocolaptes strictus

PicidaeNo free photo yet

CompareCrimson-backed flameback vs White-naped woodpeckerCrimson-backed flameback vs Buff-spotted flamebackCrimson-backed flameback vs Greater flamebackCrimson-backed flameback vs Luzon flameback

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the crimson-backed flameback?

An adult crimson-backed flameback weighs 138 g – 211 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the crimson-backed flameback endangered?

The crimson-backed flameback is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the crimson-backed flameback?

The crimson-backed flameback (Chrysocolaptes stricklandi) belongs to the family Picidae in the order Piciformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Crimson-backed flameback (Chrysocolaptes stricklandi). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/crimson-backed-flameback

MLA

“Crimson-backed flameback (Chrysocolaptes stricklandi).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/crimson-backed-flameback.

BibTeX
@misc{crimson_backed_flameback_2026,
  title = {Crimson-backed flameback (Chrysocolaptes stricklandi)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/crimson-backed-flameback},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}