Indian Pygmy Woodpecker (Picoides nanus)

This species, along with P. temminckii, P. kizuki, P. maculatus, P. ramsayi, P. canicapillus 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#R#R; all seven have been combined in Yungipicus by some authors. Present species has until recently been treated as conspecific with P. moluccensis, but separated by recent authors#R on “several characters”, enumerated here as: pale vs dark iris (3); red eyering (2); lack of dark malar stripe (3); and less heavy streaking below (ns[1]). Sri Lankan form gymnopthalmos distinctive, both in plumage and in voice#R, and merits further study. Birds in E peninsular India described as race hardwickii, but considered to represent clinal variation. Three subspecies recognized.