About Dicaeum cruentatum (Linnaeus, 1758)
The scarlet-backed flowerpecker, Dicaeum cruentatum (Linnaeus, 1758), is a small bird measuring 9 cm (3.5 in) long and weighing 7 to 8 grams (0.25 to 0.28 oz), with a short tail. This species exhibits clear sexual dimorphism. Males have navy blue faces, wings, and tails, with a broad bright red stripe running from the crown down to the upper tail coverts. Females are predominantly olive green, with a black tail and scarlet-colored upper tail coverts and rump. Both sexes share identical features: creamy white underparts, black eyes and legs, and a dark grey arched bill. Juvenile birds have plumage that looks similar to that of females, but they have an orange bill and do not have the bright red rump.
This flowerpecker is distributed across Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. No global population studies of this species have been completed. It is thought to be common across most of its range, particularly in Thailand, but it is considered rare in Bhutan and Nepal. It occurs up to an elevation of 1000 m (3500 ft), and inhabits subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, wooded areas, and gardens. In the northern part of its range, from southeastern China to Fujian, it occurs as the subspecies Dicaeum c. cruentatum. It has been recorded in both native forest and plantation forest in West Bengal, India.
