Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 17, 2026

Flameback

The flamebacks or goldenbacks are large woodpeckers which are resident breeders in tropical southern Asia. They derive their English names from their golden or crimson backs.

Last revised
Jun 17, 2026
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≈ 1 min
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Flameback
Common flameback Dinopium javanense
Common flameback
Dinopium javanense
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Subfamily: Picinae
Genera

Dinopium Rafinesque, 1814
Chrysocolaptes Blyth, 1843

The flamebacks or goldenbacks are large woodpeckers which are resident breeders in tropical southern Asia. They derive their English names from their golden or crimson backs.

However, the two flameback genera Dinopium and Chrysocolaptes are not particularly close relatives. The former are close to the enigmatic Meiglyptes and possibly Hemicircus woodpeckers, and the recently reclassified rufous woodpecker (Micropternus brachyurus). Chrysocolaptes on the other hand appears to be a rather close relative of Campephilus, the genus of the famous ivory-billed woodpecker (C. principalis).1

Tribe Malarpicini

Tribe Megapicini

Footnotes

Footnotes

  1. Benz et al. (2006)
References

References