Nesting behaviour of Common Flameback - Part 1

Common Flameback Dinopium javanense javanense - Nesting

In the event of observations of active nests do it in great care always have to put the birds first. Do not in anyway obstruct the feedings. Another important notes to consider is to be careful to whom you disclose. This is to avoid uncessary attentions to the nest. It is advisable not to disclose rare birds spp active nesting. If the birds chase you away do back off, even you are doing birds behaviour data collections.

This pair of birds use the urban recreation park as their nesting grounds, their predators is only human and chances of having snakes to ransacked/destroy their nest would be very much less chances. Urban folks no doubt are very curious but most don't have the heart to harm any wildlife. This pair of woodpecker does caught some kids attentions ...OOOH Woody Woodpecker looks and they point it out to their parents or siblings.

This is towards the late stage of the nesting behaviour of a Common Flameback. It's nest is a cavities hole in a tree bark, this nest is situated at one of the urban recreation park. According to the local there this is the 3rd year this same spp use back the same tree and same hole. Through most nesting observations, if the previous nest prove to a 100% succesfuly fledge, the chances for them to comes back/recyle the nest is very much possible.

Nesting behaviour
I very much think that once the chicks has grown to certain sizes the parent bird would comes out of the hole. They would still source out food for their chicks. At this growing stage of their chicks foods sourcing are more frequent, chicks need to grown fast and they ensure their babies grow healthly to have a 100% successfuly fledge soon.

Feeding visit are much done by the female adult birds, she would not be so cautions of the surrounding. The male bird would be more cautions would prefer to perched at some branches nearby the nest for long time before enter to the nest to feeds his chicks. The aftenoon session I notice that feedings would be 45 mins to 1 hrs once. Foods for their chicks is not fresh foods but reguginating. Notice that the adult birds would perched at one spots for quite sometimes, normaly makes no calls, only a few mins before they are ready to feeds the chicks, they would makes “kak..kak..kah...” loud calls.. Their chicks would excitely makes a small chiit...chit... chicks sounds.

Common Flameback - Male
This is the proud father of a pair of male and female small chicks. He is now anouncing it's arrival soon to the cavity nest to feeds them. He has been at this perched for quite a while already, maybe to process it's food to regurgitating feedings.

Common Flameback - Female
This is the proud mother of the two chicks. She is a doting mother. She did the hatching most of the time. At this stage of my discoveries her chicks has grown a little and they does not need her to sit on them all the times. At this state she is now busy with her husband to source out foods for their chicks..

Common Flameback - Male

This is another looks of the proud father of two chicks

This is the moments just before he enter to the nest to looks into the needs of his chicks. Looks at how he use his tail to support himself. All woodpecker behave this way.

Common Flameback - Female
she looks curiously poke out her head but actually nesting adult birds would be very cautions and wish not to attract any predators. I do notice that just before they dash out they would poke out their head to looks around. If they ever notice any commotions or feel unsafe they would quickly poke back their head inside the nest-hole.

Common Flameback - Male

He is not born with eyes defact but they have eyelids too. It is called nicticating membrane, it is to protect their eyes from dust , keeps the moisture balance as well.


Common Flameback -Male

This is how the male adult bird, he would poke out his head after attending the needs of the chicks to observed for sometimes the surrounding before he dash off from the nest-hole.


My camera setup is canon 400D + 400mm prime lens (the most budget canon lens). I'm at least 7 meter away from the birds. 10megapixels jpegs files can allow me to crop and stretch my photos.. I only use natural lighting for all of my pictures