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.

Flameback
Common flameback Dinopium javanense
Common flameback
Dinopium javanense
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Subfamily: Picinae
Genera

Dinopium Rafinesque, 1814
Chrysocolaptes Blyth, 1843

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 edit

  1. ^ Benz et al. (2006)

References edit

  • Benz, Brett W.; Robbins, Mark B.; Peterson, A. Townsend (2006). "Evolutionary history of woodpeckers and allies (Aves: Picidae): Placing key taxa on the phylogenetic tree" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 40 (2): 389–399. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.02.021. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 16635580. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 June 2010.