Black rumped Flameback(Dinopium benghalense psarodes) 26-29cm
Probably the most familiar woodpecker in Sri Lanka.Its song,a rattlin scream ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-...kikikiki which first rises,falls in pitch and accelerates,gives away its presence although it is otherwise unobtrusive and many city dwellers are unware that this striking bird is found in residential areas.Sometimes also utters a slow ki-ki note.The red back and back and white on head and neck is distinctive,and can only be confused with Greater Flameback(Chrysocolaptes lucidus).The latter has an ivory-coloured,not dark,beak and a white 'island' on the chin.Female has black on forecrown rather than red.In the dry lowlands north-wards of North Central Province, a golden-backed race of this woodpecker occurs.
