Flowerpeckers: Dicaeidae - Physical Characteristics, Behavior And Reproduction, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker (dicaeum Ignipectus): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, DIET, FLOWERPECKERS AND PEOPLE, CONSERVATION STATUS

Flowerpeckers and berrypeckers are found on the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, southern China, Hainan Island, Taiwan, the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sulawesi, the Moluccas, New Guinea and its surrounding islands, and Australia.

Flowerpeckers reside in tall forests, from sea level up to more than 12,000 feet (3,700 meters) in altitude where little vegetation grows. The birds range from rainforests, secondary growth forests, and woodlands to cultivated farmlands and urban areas.

Food for flowerpeckers consists mostly of berries from shrubs, trees, and vines (especially mistletoe berries); fruits; nectar; and pollen; but also small insects and spiders. The birds do a funny-looking dance while trying to separate the fleshy part of the mistletoe berries from their large seeds. Smaller fruits are eaten whole, while insects and spiders are caught as they fly through the air.

People consider some species to be pests because they deposit seeds of mistletoe, which is a parasite (organism living on another) on trees that are used in the lumber industry and for other economic purposes. The crested berrypecker is often caught for food in the highlands of New Guinea.

The Cebu flowerpecker is Critically Endangered, facing an extremely high risk of extinction, with a population of less than fifty birds. The black-belted or Visayan flowerpecker and the scarlet-collared flowerpecker are both Vulnerable, facing a high risk of extinction. Five other species are Near Threatened, in danger of becoming threatened with extinction.