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The Malabar flameback (Chrysocolaptes socialis) is a species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats of India.
It was previously considered a subspecies of the greater flameback (C. guttacristatus), but was split as a distinct species by the International Ornithological Congress in 2022 based on a 2021 study noting differences in plumage and vocalizations between both species.
The Malabar Flameback (Chrysocolaptes socialis) is a large, golden-olive woodpecker endemic to the wet, lowland, and foothill forests of the Western Ghats in southwestern India. Split as a distinct species in 2022, it is identified by its large bill, red rump, and a distinctly divided black horizontal stripe below the cheek.
