Appearance
The crested fireback is found in lowland forests of the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Borneo and Sumatra. There are four subspecies of the crested fireback, but in 2014 the subspecies ''rufa'' was split as a distinct species from the others.Males of the subspecies from Borneo and Bangka Island, ''L. i. ignita'' and ''L. i. nobilis'' , have brown central tail feathers, whitish legs and are rufous below. The male Vieillot's crested fireback, ''L. rufa'', of the Thai-Malay Peninsula and most of Sumatra has white central tail feathers, red legs and bluish black streaked white below. The final subspecies, Delacour's crested fireback, ''L. i. macartneyi'', is found in south-eastern Sumatra and the male has white to the tail, whitish legs and a variable amount of rufous below. As ''macartneyi'' specimens are variable, the Handbook of Birds of the World regards it as a hybrid between ''rufa'' and a possible relictual or introduced population of ''ignita''. The female of ''L. i ignita'' and ''L. i. nobilis'' have a dark, blackish tail and whitish legs, while female of ''L. i.a rufa'' has a chestnut brown tail and red legs.
Status
Due to ongoing habitat loss and overhunting in some areas, the crested fireback is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix III of CITES in Malaysia.Reproduction
The female usually lays between four and eight creamy white eggs.Food
The diet consists mainly of plants, fruits and small animals.References:
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