The black-rumped flameback is a very popular variety of woodpecker, which is seen both in rural and urban areas. It can be readily identified by the bold red crest on the top of its head. Apart from that, it has bright golden and black colour over its body. Its throat is black with white streaks. The cheek is white, with a stripe of black colour around the eyes stretching into it. The shoulders are speckled with black and yellow.
These are noisy birds, preferring to live in open forests, cultivated lands and urban areas with trees. They make oval holes in tree trunks with their strong bills and that is where they build their nests. These birds dig out insect larvae as a favourite food from under the bark of trees, using their bills. They may also feed from termite mounds or nectar banks of bees.
Although these birds are very widely seen in most parts of India, they are not so common in the desert regions of the Northwest. They also have some other names like the lesser golden-backed woodpecker or simply, lesser golden-back.