Gray-capped Pygmy Woodpecker Yungipicus canicapillus Scientific name definitions

14–16 cm; 20–27 g (mitche­llii), 21–32 g (semicoronatus, scintilliceps). Male has grey forehead and crown, black crown sides, hindcrown and nape, small red streak on nape side, buffish nasal tufts; white face with grey-brown band through lower ear-coverts, darker at rear and continuing down neck side, narrow brownish malar stripe; whitish chin and throat; black upperparts tinged brown, barred white, wing-coverts with variable amount of white at tips; black flight-feathers tipped white, white spots forming bars on inner wing; uppertail black, central feathers barred or spotted white, outer 2 or 3 pairs barred whitish; whitish below, breast strongly tinged brownish, dark brown streaks most pronounced on breast; fairly long bill almost straight, barely chisel-tipped, blackish, paler base and lower mandible; iris red-brown to grey-brown, orbital skin grey; legs greyish to olive-grey. Female lacks red on crown. Juvenile is darker above than adult, with crown blackish, darker below with heavier streaking and often hint of barring, male with orange-red on nape and rear crown sides often more extensive than on adult. Races vary in both plumage and size: semicoronatus has buffish cheekband, strong yellow-brown to buff or even orangey tinge below, differs from all others races in that male has red extending across nape; <em>mitchellii</em> is very like previous, but red on male restricted to narrow lateral nape streak, often more extensive brown on face; <em>delacouri</em> resembles nominate, but larger, with broader dark streaking below ; auritus has head pattern clearly defined, is slightly shorter-tailed, with plumage blacker, less brown-toned, grey-brown breastband, central rectrices barred on some, plain on others; volzi has less white in wings, orangey to orange-gold underparts; aurantiiventris is smallest race, resembles previous but has longer bill, shorter tail, often more pronounced malar; doerriesi is largest race, distinctive, has mantle and upper back black, lower back and rump white, uppertail-coverts black, wing-coverts with much white forming patches, wingbars broad, pale underparts with streaks rather narrow; <em>scintilliceps</em> is similar to previous but slightly smaller, with upper back barred white, less white in wings, darker and more heavily streaked below; <em>kaleensis</em> is like previous but more streaked below; swinhoei is slightly smaller than previous, whiter below with narrower streaking, has more white in wings.

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

This species, along with P. temminckii, P. kizuki, P. maculatus, P. ramsayi, P. nanus and P. moluccensis, was previously placed in Dendrocopos, but molecular studies indicate that they all form a separate clade of very small species, evidently sister to the P. tridactylus clade (1 Weibel, A. C., and W. S. Moore (2002). A test of a mitochondrial gene-based phylogeny of woodpeckers (genus Picoides) using an independent nuclear gene, β-Fibrinogen intron 7. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 22:247–257. Close , 2 Winkler, H., A. Gamauf, F. Nittinger, and E. Haring (2014). Relationships of Old World woodpeckers (Aves: Picidae) – new insights and taxonomic implications. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien 116:69–86. Close ); all seven have been combined in Yungipicus by some authors. Present species has at times been considered conspecific with P. nanus, but the two are sympatric in Nepal without interbreeding. Himalayan races differ vocally and morphologically from other S & SE Asian ones; re-evaluation of species limits desirable (3 Rasmussen, P. C., and J. C. Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide. Volumes 1 and 2. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA and Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ). Mainland races generally intergrade. Taiwan population originally named as a separate species, Dendrocopos[= Picoides] wattersi, but specimen shown to be juvenile of present species; name subsequently synonymized with kaleensis. Other named races include gigantisculus (Khasi Hills, NE India), szetschuanensis (C China), nagamichii (E China), omissus (W & S China), obscurus (SW & S Yunnan) and tonkinensis (Tonkin), all considered either to represent intergrades between populations or to fall within range of variation of adjacent races. Eleven subspecies recognized.

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Inhabits a great variety of forests and woodlands. Oak (Quercus), deciduous and mixed forest in N parts of range. In Nepal and E to SE Asia, occurs in closed as well as more open forest, including sal (Shorea) forest, deciduous and open evergreen woodland, second growth, scrub and gardens, but avoids very dense forest; also in Casuarina forest and mangroves in coastal SE Asia. Frequents lowland forest, montane forest and pine (Pinus) forest, and found also at jungle clearings, in Greater Sundas. Lowlands to 400 m in Nepal, less commonly to 1350 m, and to 1700 m, occasionally 2000 m, elsewhere in Himalayas; to 1830 m in SE Asia; mainly lowlands up to 1680 m in Borneo, and in Sumatra found mostly at 1000–2800 m; to 2000 m in China.

Largely resident. Minor post-breeding movements down to lowlands in N parts of range. Probably only a breeding visitor to Pakistan.

Diet includes caterpillars, homopterans, small beetles, insect pupae, grubs, Diptera, ants, and fruits; seeds (grass) and other plant matter (e.g. carmine cherries) of some importance in winter. Solitary, in pairs, or in small family groups. Forages in crowns of tall trees, also at edges of bushes and saplings; seeks out dead twigs or stubs, but most foraging is on outer twigs and branches. Frequently perches crosswise, and hangs on twigs and leaf clusters, often upside-down. Does not peck and hammer at one spot for very long; undertakes much gleaning; occasionally removes a piece of bark or lichen and probes into crevices and at base of leaves. Even flutters to catch less accessible items.

Short, soft “cheep” or “pic” or “tzit”; doubled “chip-chip”, second note shorter and lower-pitched; also “tit-tit-erh-r-r-r-r-h”, “pic-chirru-chirru-chihihihi” or “click-r-r-r”, and irregular squeaking series, “kweek-kweek-kweek”. Drumming sounds muted.

Apr–Jul in Indian Subcontinent and Dec–Apr in SE Asia; somewhat later in N parts of range. Display with crest-raising, bill-directing, and slow body-swinging and tail-spreading. Nest excavated by both sexes, at 2·5–15 m, mostly 5–10 m, in tree branch, particularly on underside. Clutch 3–5 eggs in S of range, 6–8 in N; incubation by both sexes, period 12–13 days; both also feed chicks, nestling period c. 21 days.

Not globally threatened. Locally common to fairly common in much of range. Rare and very local in Pakistan; in Nepal, rare in W and more common in E; locally fairly common in India and Bhutan; local and not common in Bangladesh, but status uncertain; common throughout most of SE Asia; fairly widespread but uncommon in China, including Hainan; rare and local in NE of range. Occurs in several protected areas, e.g. Corbett National Park (India) and Chitwan National Park (Nepal).