Flame-Crowned Flowerpecker
Also known as: Dicaeum kampalili (scientific name) · Mindanao flame-crowned flowerpecker
Definition
The Flame-Crowned Flowerpecker (Dicaeum kampalili) is a species of bird in the flowerpecker family Dicaeidae endemic to the island of Mindanao in the Philippines, where it inhabits montane and mossy forest. The crown of the male glows orange-red against dark upperparts, the feature behind its English name. Long treated alongside the Luzon-endemic yellow-crowned flowerpecker within a broader flame-crowned complex, Mindanao birds are recognized as a distinct form, named after Mount Kampalili in the island’s eastern highlands. (Wikipedia)
Identities
| Source Type | Identity |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | Flame-crowned flowerpecker |
| Wikidata | Q31874578 |
| DBpedia | N/A |
| ProductOntology | N/A |
| Wiktionary | N/A |
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) | N/A |
| MeSH | N/A |
| NCBI Taxonomy | Dicaeum kampalili |
| AGROVOC | N/A |
| Google Scholar | Dicaeum kampalili flame-crowned flowerpecker Mindanao montane endemic mistletoe |
| ConceptNet | bird |
| OpenCyc | N/A |
Also Known As
- Dicaeum kampalili (scientific name)
- Mindanao flame-crowned flowerpecker
Examples and Analogies
- A Match-Head in the Mist: Weighing a few grams, the male’s burning crown against grey moss-forest gloom looks like a struck match moving through fog, nature’s way of making a tiny bird unforgettable.
- Mistletoe’s Gardener: Flowerpeckers and mistletoes are inseparable partners across the Philippines, the birds pruning and planting the parasitic plants whose berries form their staple diet.
Usage Scenarios
1. Montane Forest Indicator
The species’ presence in Mindanao’s highland forests helps biologists confirm that mossy-zone habitat remains intact above the agricultural frontier.
2. Speciation Research
Comparisons between the Mindanao bird and its Luzon counterpart are used in studies of how island isolation drove Philippine bird diversification.
Strategies
- Protect connected tracts of montane forest on Mindanao, including mountains beyond the well-known parks, to safeguard the full elevational belt the species occupies.
- Incorporate flowerpecker-mistletoe ecology in reforestation guidance so plantings support the species’ food web.
- Encourage community-based monitoring on highland Indigenous territories where most habitat lies.
Security and Safety Measures
- Protected under Republic Act No. 9147 as a wild bird species.
- Montane fieldwork requires preparation for cold, rain, and steep terrain, plus coordination with Indigenous peoples’ organizations and local authorities.
- Researchers should follow collection and research permit rules of the DENR and biodiversity bureaus.
Historical Context
Flowerpeckers of the Dicaeum anthonyi complex were long lumped as a single variable species spanning Luzon and Mindanao. Detailed studies of voice, plumage, and genetics led taxonomists to split the complex, with Mindanao populations recognized as distinct under the name Dicaeum kampalili, honoring the Kampalili mountain range where the form occurs. The split added another name to Mindanao’s long list of montane endemics, joining birds first documented by twentieth-century expeditions to the island’s remote massifs.
Challenges and Controversies
Recent Split, Shaky Numbers
Because the species was only recently delineated, no robust population estimate exists, and its conservation status inherits uncertainty from the older, broader species assessments.
Montane Forest Pressures
Conversion of highland slopes to vegetable farms and illegal logging creep upslope, steadily narrowing the mossy-forest belt this flowerpecker occupies.
Related Topic
Mindanao