Black-headed Woodpecker

SCI Name:  Picus erythropygius
Protonym:  Gecinus erythropygius Nouv.Arch.Mus.Hist.Nat.Bull. 1 p.76 pl.3
Taxonomy:  Piciformes / Picidae / Picus
Taxonomy Code:  blhwoo1
Type Locality:  Cochinchina.
Author:  Elliot
Publish Year:  1865
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

PICUS
(Picidae; Ϯ Eurasian Green Woodpecker P. viridis) L. picus  woodpecker (Roman myth. Picus, king of Latium who married the beauteous nymph and songstress Canens, and was changed into a woodpecker by the spiteful Circe, whose affections he had spurned); "54. PICUS.  Rostrum polyedrum, rectum: apice cuneato.  Nares pennis setaceis obtectæ.  Lingua teres, lumbriciformis, longissima, mucronata, apice retrorsum aculeata setis.   ...   Lingua Picorum & Jyngis inseritur fronti. Intestina cæcis carent.   ...   Pici Larvas insectorum lignum intus rodentium rostro fecante, sono terrefaciente, auditu percipiente: lingua acuta hastata intranse extrahunt, de qua Act. angl. 350. p. 509." (Linnaeus 1758); “The type of this Linnean genus has been fixed on various species out of the thirteen originally contained in it. Gray (List Gen. Bds. 1840, p. 54) selected major, Hargitt (Cat. Bds. B. M. xviii. 1890, p. 518) martius; but Swainson (Zool. Illustr. 1st ser. i. 1820, pl. 14), who appears to have been the first author to designate the type, made it viridis, and this the Committee believe should be accepted.” (BOU 1915);"Picus Linné, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1, 1758, p. 112. Type, by subsequent designation, Picus viridis Linné. (Swainson, Zool. Illustr., 1, 1820, text to pl. 4.)" (Peters 1948, VI, 130). Linnaeus's Picus comprised thirteen species (P. martius, P. principalis, P. pileatus, P. hirundinaceus, P. erythrocephalus, P. carolinus, P. viridis, P. benghalensis, P. semirostris, P. major, P. medius, P. minor, P. tridactylus). 
Var. Pigus.
Synon. Callolophus, Calopicus, Chrysopterus, Cirropicus, Poliopicus.
● (syn. Dendrocopos Ϯ Great Spotted Woodpecker D. major) (see above).
● (syn. Dryocopus Ϯ Black Woodpecker D. martius) (see above).

picus
L. picus  woodpecker, a bird used in augury.
● ex “Talapiot de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 605, “Talapiot” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Climbing Oriole” of Latham 1782 (Dendroplex).
● ex “Piegrièche Rouge à Plastron Blanc” of Levaillant 1800, pl. 65 (artefact).

erythropygia / erythropygium / erythropygius
Gr. ερυθρος eruthros  red; -πυγιος -pugios  -rumped  < πυγη pugē   rump.
● ex “Red-rumped Creeper” of Latham 1801 (syn. Myzomela sanguinolenta).

SUBSPECIES

Black-headed Woodpecker (nigrigenis)
SCI Name: Picus erythropygius nigrigenis
nigrigena / nigrigenis / nigrigenys
L. niger  black; genis  cheeks  < gena  cheek.

Black-headed Woodpecker (erythropygius)
SCI Name: Picus erythropygius erythropygius
erythropygia / erythropygium / erythropygius
Gr. ερυθρος eruthros  red; -πυγιος -pugios  -rumped  < πυγη pugē   rump.
● ex “Red-rumped Creeper” of Latham 1801 (syn. Myzomela sanguinolenta).