Chrysocolaptes stricklandi
Silhouette: Pepe Reigada · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
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.
It takes its binomial name (formerly Brachypternus stricklandi) from Hugh Edwin Strickland (see Layard 1854 p. 29). Media related to Chrysocolaptes stricklandi at Wikimedia Commons Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Horton Plains National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 3 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 4 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 5 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 6 | Udawalawe National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Crimson-backed Flameback sighting in Sinharaja Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 541 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 43rd most-seen of the 156 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Crimson-backed Flameback in Sinharaja Forest Reserve on a given day, against about 30% in July–September and November–March, the lowest months. That is one of Sinharaja Forest Reserve's wettest months, with about 470 mm of rain against 150 mm in March.
Between 2 and 5 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Crimson-backed Flameback sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Among the best
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Crimson-backed Flameback sightings, Sinharaja Forest Reserve ranks 2nd at about 30%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Horton Plains National Park (Sri Lanka, about 30%).
Same family: Picidae
The closest relatives of the Crimson-backed Flameback that you can see in Sinharaja Forest Reserve (family Picidae, Woodpeckers) are Lesser Sri Lanka Flameback (about 40%), Lesser Yellownape (about 30%) and Brown-capped Woodpecker (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Crimson-backed Flameback is recorded against all the birds logged in Sinharaja Forest Reserve (541 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
