The common flameback is a kind of medium-sized woodpecker generally found in the hilly areas of the Western Ghats and the Northeast. Their back is beautifully golden, with the lower back being red in colour. The upper part of their head is red in the male bird, while it is black in the female. The lower part is adorned with black stripes on white and the tail is completely black. Its bill is comparatively small. It has only three toes on its feet and these birds are also called golden-backed, three-toed flamebacks.
They choose to live in dry forests, moist lowlands and mangrove cultivation in the tropical or subtropical regions. They make tree-holes by themselves and build their nests in them. Invertebrates constitute their primary diet.
These birds are very common in India. The IUCN does not consider this bird to be under any global threat.