WJIart (UL.etliih
IOTGIFIC1US CAHICAPILLUJSo
’Walter.imp.
IYNGIPICUS CANICAPILLUS.
Grey-lieaded Pygmy Woodpecker.
P im , camcapillus, Blyth, J. A. S. Bang. xiv. p. 197 (1845) I xv. p. 14 (1846) ;; H p. 467 (1847) ; xviii. p. 805
(1 8 4 9 feT d. Cat. B. Mus. As, Si)« p. 64(1849).—Gray,. Gen.B, »5 App. p. 21 (m g g -R e ic lib . Handb.
Scansorire, Picin. p. 373 (1854)'.—Malli. Monogr. Picid i .p . 141 (1861).—Sundev. Consp. Av. Picin. p. 29
(1866).— Gray, List Picid. Brit. Mus. p. 43 (1SG8).— Id. Hand-list o f Birds, ii. p. 184, no. 8581 (1870),
Yum/ipkm tmuhnsis, Bp. (nec Licht), Consp. Yoluor. Zygod. p. 8 (1854).
Horsf. and Moors, Cat. B. B. I. Co. Mas., ii. pp. 677, 992 (1 3 5 6 ).-Jerd. B. In d .g p. 279
(1S62).—Blyth, Ibis, 1870, p. 163.—Hume, Str. F. 1874, p. 471— Blyth and Wald. B. Bonn. p. 78
(1875). Hume, Str. F. 1875, pp. 1 4 ,5 9 .—Armstrong, Str. F. 1876, p. 309.—Hume, op. cit. 1878)
> 126.—Id. tom. cit. App. p. 500.—Hume, op. cit, 1879, p. 87.—Bingham, op, cit. 1880, p. 161.
Bieopipo canicapilla, Cab. and Heine, Mus. Hein. Th. iv. p. 58 (1863),
Picus, sp., Beavan, Ibis, 1869, p- 413.
Iyngipicus canicapitlus, Hargitt, Ibis, 1882, p. 39.
The grey bead of the present bird when fully adult is such a striking character that the species is easily
recognizable; but when the plumage gets worn there is often an approach to I. auritm and I. nanus; so that
when a large serieei«eompared these species seem to run into one another so thoroughly that they cannot
jfchhsidered more than races of one form.
The chief habitat of the Grey-headed Pygmy Woodpecker seems to be the Burmese countries ; and I cannot
do better than quote the remarks given by Mr. Hargitt in his paper on the genus Iyngiptcm (lb,s, 1882,
p. 40) : S According to Mr. Oates it is universally distributed between Thayetmyo and Tonghoo, in British
Burma; but still it is not very common; it creeps about the smaller branches of trees. Mr. J. Armstrong
records it from the Rangoon district o f the Irrawaddy delfe* and Mr. Inglis has obtained specimens from
North-eastern Cachar. Messrs. Hume and Davison state that it is generally distributed throughout the
Tenasserim province at an elevation not exceeding; 5000 feet; and it extends quite to the south of the
Malayan peninsula, Mr. Davison h a v i n g shot it in Jollore and seen it in Singapore. In Mr. Humes review o
the genus Iyngipicus (Str. F. 1875, p. 60), he states that this species occurs throughout Eastern Bengal,
Assam, Pe^u, Tenasserim, the Malay peninsula, and North-west Sumatra. Amongst those which I have
examined, I have never yet seen it from the latter island; but it is very probable that it does occur there.
In this species there is a great tendency to variety in the spotting of the tail-feathers, in Tenasserim the
birds frequently having the four: central feathers uniform or with only one spot of white. Captain Heilden
has already noted two races of this species I and these have been referred to by Mr. Hume (Str. F. 1875,
„ 59)—one a small race inhabiting the dense jungle around Thayetmyo, and a larger bird (true cmscapOui)
found on the borders of cultivation. The smaller race (which is clearly distinct) I have named Iyngipum
^ThT'figures in the Plate, which represent a male and female of the size of life, have been drawn from
specimens kindly lent to me by Mr. Hargitt. [R B S ]