GECINUS TANCOLO, Gouia.

Formosan Green Woodpecker.

Gecinus tancolo, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc. 1862, p. 283.
tancola, Swinh. in Ibis, 1863, p. 389.
Tancolo, aborigines of Foochow.

 

 

Tux present bird, the Gecinus occipitalis and G. squamatus of the Himalayas, and the G. viridis and G. canus of
Europe, all belong to the same genus, and there are other Indian species which might have been mentioned
as pertaining to this very distinct form of W oodpeckers. All these birds evince a partiality for the ground,
where they search for the pupe of ants, terrestrial insects, and their larvae. When characterizing this bird
in the ‘ Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London’ above referred to, I mentioned that the G. tancolo
is most nearly allied to, but quite distinct from, the G. occépitalis; and in confirmation of this view I may
quote Mr. Swinhoe’s remarks on the subject from the ‘Ibis’ for 1863, p- 389 :—

‘The Formosan Green Woodpecker is a local representative of the larger Himalayan G. occipitalis, which
is, however, at once to be distinguished from it by its greater dimensions, by its large and entirely black bill,
by the sides of its neck being yellowish green instead of grey, by the brighter yellowish green of the breast,
belly, and back, by its lateral rectrices being wholly brown instead of partially brownish white, and by its
primary coverts being margined on the outer web with golden green instead of being barred with brown.
The wing is shorter in the Formosan bird; and the primaries have fewer whitish spots, and only indications
of some on the outer edge of the first primary, instead of distinct spots; and a grey eye-streak divides the
black on the lores from the red frontal crest.”

Lores, a narrow band across the forehead, back part of the head, nape, and a stripe down the cheeks black ;
centre of the forehead blood-red ; back dull green, passing into greenish yellow on the rump; shoulders and
upper part of the wings dull wax-yellow ; primaries olive-brown, with small elongated marks of buff on their
external margins ; internal webs of the greater coverts and primaries crossed with distinct bars of greyish
white ; throat and cheeks grey; under parts of the shoulders and axillaries alternately barred with greenish
white and blackish brown ; chest and under surface sordid green ; “bill blackish grey on the upper and nearly
the whole apical half of the lower mandible, the basal edge of the former and the rest of the latter being
greenish yellow; legs deep leaden, with a tinge of olive-green; sole-pads brownish; claws leaden black ;
irides pearly white.” (Swinhoe.)

The female differs in having the crown grey, broadly streaked with black.

The Plate represents the two sexes, of the size of life.

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