Malabar flameback

The Malabar flameback (Chrysocolaptes socialis) is a species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats of India.[1]

Malabar flameback
Male in Kerala
Calls of C. socialis, recorded in Wayanad district
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain:Eukaryota
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Piciformes
Family:Picidae
Genus:Chrysocolaptes
Species:
C. socialis
Binomial name
Chrysocolaptes socialis
Koelz, 1939
Synonyms

Chrysocolaptes guttacristatus socialis

It was previously considered a subspecies of the greater flameback (C. guttacristatus), but was split as a distinct species by the International Ornithological Congress in 2022 based on a 2021 study noting differences in plumage and vocalizations between both species.[1][2][3]

Female Western Ghats Malabar flameback (C. socialis) at Sirsi, Karnataka (India)
Head pattern of Western Ghats Malabar flameback (C. socialis): The thin and divided black "moustache" can be used to distinguish it from similar Dinopium flamebacks.

References