The scarlet-collared flowerpecker (''Dicaeum retrocinctum'') is a species of
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...
in the family
Dicaeidae
The flowerpeckers are a family, Dicaeidae, of passerine birds. The family comprises two genera, '' Prionochilus'' and '' Dicaeum'', with 50 species in total. The family has sometimes been included in an enlarged sunbird family Nectariniidae. The ...
, about 10 cm long and is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
It is found only in
Mindoro
Mindoro is the seventh largest and eighth-most populous island in the Philippines. With a total land area of 10,571 km2 ( 4,082 sq.mi ) and has a population of 1,408,454 as of 2020 census. It is located off the southwestern coast of Luz ...
, usually occurring below 1000m in the canopy and edge of the forest and in open country with scattered trees. The call is a series of notes similar to striking two stones together plus a high-pitched `zeet zeet zeet`. It is closely related to the
red-keeled flowerpecker (''Dicaeum australe'') but has a longer, more slender curved beak.
Description
EBird
eBird is an online database of bird observations providing scientists, researchers and amateur naturalists with real-time data about bird distribution and abundance. Originally restricted to sightings from the Western Hemisphere, the project ...
describes the bird as "A small bird of lowland and foothill forest and more open wooded areas on Mindoro, slightly glossy black with a white belly and sides of the chest and with red patches on the throat, upper back, and in a stripe from the center of the chest down the belly. Note the fairly long, thin, slightly curved bill. Similar to Pygmy Flowerpecker, but has a black chest and red patches. Gives a high-pitched, staccato, rather jumbled song.”
It is seen feeding on flowering and fruiting trees.
Habitat and Conservation Status
It inhabits tropical moist lowland forest up to 1,000 meters above sea level. It prefers
primary forest
An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological feature ...
and
secondary forest but has been known to visit cultivations and coconut plantations
IUCN has assessed this bird as
vulnerable with its population being estimated as 6,000 to 15,000 mature individuals. Forest loss is a threat especially in its lower altitude limits which are more prone to legal and
illegal logging
Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corruption, corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, o ...
, mining and conversion into farmland.
It occurs on a few protected areas
Mt Siburan (Important Bird Area) and Mt. Iglit-baco National Park (which is the stronghold of the
Tamaraw
The tamaraw or Mindoro dwarf buffalo (''Bubalus mindorensis'') is a small hoofed mammal belonging to the family Bovidae. It is endemic to the island of Mindoro in the Philippines, and is the only endemic Philippine bovine. It is believed, howe ...
)..
Conservation actions proposed include to establish formal, managed protected areas to conserve remnant forest at Malpalon and
Puerto Galera. Extend Mt Iglit-Baco National Park to encompass remaining lowland forest tracts. Devise and implement a management plan for the forest at Mt. Siburan with a focus on biodiversity conservation
References
External links
BirdLife Species Factsheet.
scarlet-collared flowerpecker
Birds of Mindoro
scarlet-collared flowerpecker
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Dicaeidae-stub