Red-headed flameback
Chrysocolaptes erythrocephalus Sharpe, 1877
The red-headed flameback (Chrysocolaptes erythrocephalus) is a species in the family Picidae, order Piciformes. Recorded adults weigh 142 g to 211 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Near Threatened.
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Quick facts about the red-headed flameback
- Weight
- 142 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
- Near Threatened (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the red-headed flameback live?
Not recorded
What is the red-headed flameback?
The red-headed flameback (Chrysocolaptes erythrocephalus) is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is endemic to the Philippines only being found in the region of Palawan in the islands of Balabac, mainland Palawan, Busuanga and Calamian. It is one of the most spectacular flamebacks with its bright red head and yellow-green back. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the greater flameback. It is found in moist lowland forests including primary, secondary and even plantations and clearings provided there are still standing trees. It is threatened by habitat loss.
From the Wikipedia article “Red-headed flameback” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Red-headed_flameback&oldid=1377215104), 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 red-headed flameback endangered?
The red-headed flameback is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List: it is close to qualifying as threatened.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Near Threatened species.
How is the red-headed flameback classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPiciformes
- familyPicidae
- genusChrysocolaptes
- SpeciesChrysocolaptes erythrocephalus Sharpe, 1877
Synonyms Chrysocolaptes lucidus erythrocephalus
Other names and names in other languages (25)
- picot sultà cap-roigCatalan
- datel palawanskýCzech
- Palawan SultanspætteDanish
- RotkopfsultanspechtGerman
- Rotkopf-SultanspechtGerman
- ruĝkapa flampegoEsperanto
- Pito sultán cabecirrojoSpanish
- Pic à face rougeFrench
- crvenolica žunaCroatian
- ズアカコガネゲラJapanese
- Raudongalvis sultoninis genysLithuanian
- RoodkopgoudrugspechtDutch
- ildhodespettNorwegian
- sułtan czerwonogłowyPolish
- peto-de-faces-vermelhasPortuguese
- pica-pau-sultão-de-cabeça-vermelhaPortuguese
- Красноголовый дятел-султанRussian
- Красноголовый султанский дятелRussian
- zlatoš červenohlavýSlovak
- Crvenoglava vatroleđa žunaSerbian
- rödhuvad sultanspettSwedish
- Al Kafalı AlevsırtTurkish
- дзьобак червоноголовийUkrainian
- 紅頭金背啄木Chinese
- 红头金背啄木鸟Chinese
Relatives of the red-headed flameback
Other species in the same genus Chrysocolaptes.

White-naped woodpecker
Chrysocolaptes festivus

Buff-spotted flameback
Chrysocolaptes lucidus
Greater flameback
Chrysocolaptes guttacristatus
Luzon flameback
Chrysocolaptes haematribon
Crimson-backed flameback
Chrysocolaptes stricklandi
Javan flameback
Chrysocolaptes strictus
CompareRed-headed flameback vs White-naped woodpeckerRed-headed flameback vs Buff-spotted flamebackRed-headed flameback vs Greater flamebackRed-headed flameback vs Luzon flameback
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the red-headed flameback?
An adult red-headed flameback weighs 142 g – 211 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the red-headed flameback endangered?
The red-headed flameback is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is close to qualifying as threatened.
What kind of animal is the red-headed flameback?
The red-headed flameback (Chrysocolaptes erythrocephalus) 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.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Red-headed flameback (Chrysocolaptes erythrocephalus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-headed-flameback
“Red-headed flameback (Chrysocolaptes erythrocephalus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-headed-flameback.
@misc{red_headed_flameback_2026,
title = {Red-headed flameback (Chrysocolaptes erythrocephalus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-headed-flameback},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}