Woodpeckers – Black-rumped Flameback

A common, “small-billed” golden-backed woodpecker with four toes. It is one of the few woodpeckers that are seen in urban areas. It has an undulating flight and characteristic rattling-whinnying call “ki-ki-ki-ki-ki,” which steadily increases in pace and ends in a trill.

Propped against the side of a tree trunk, they rapidly hammer against the bark. This pecking behavior serves three purposes. The birds uncover and eat adult insects, their eggs and larvae, and other invertebrates living in or under the bark and in the wood of the tree. The birds also drill holes in dead or dying trees in which to nest. The third reason for hammering is for communication. Woodpeckers declare their territories and seek mates by what is called “drumming”. This is why you might see a flicker pounding on a metal power pole or your house siding – to make the loudest sound he can, not to look for food or drill a hole, but to make a statement.