THE BIRDS OF NORTHERN THAILAND 251 



This fine bird, while not common, is found throughout the north- 

 ern provinces, occurring in the dry, deciduous forest from the plains 

 to about 2,000 feet and, on Doi Suthep, rarely in the open hill-forest 

 at 4,600 feet. 



Gyldenstolpe found it in parties of from four to six birds but I have 

 myself never recorded more than two together, although it is quite 

 likely to be travelling with mixed flocks of unrelated forms, such as 

 Garrulax, Crypsirina, Garrul/us^ etc. It is frequently seen on stumps 

 and disproportionately small trees and I have scarcely ever observed 

 it more than six feet above the ground ; it is, nevertheless, one of the 

 most difficult woodpeckers to collect, for it keeps just beyond gunshot 

 range and seeks concealment behind the tree trunks. Its hammering is 

 slow and deliberate and loud in direct proportion to the bird's size. 



Definite breeding dates for our area are unknown but I took a juve- 

 nile female at Muang Lae, April 21, 1936. 



Adult examples had the irides creamy -yellow ; the orbital skin slate ; 

 the bill slate, with the extreme tip and base of the mandible plumbeous ; 

 the feet, toes, and claws plumbeous. 



The adult male has the crown and nuchal crest bright crimson ; the 

 lower back, rump, basal half of the quills on the inner web, and the 

 extreme tip of the primaries white ; the remaining upperparts black ; 

 the orbital region and anterior portion of the ear coverts black; a 

 broad, short mustachial streak, at each side of the throat, bright 

 crimson; the chin, throat, foreneck, and posterior ear coverts white, 

 heavily streaked with black ; the breast and under tail coverts black ; 

 the remaining underparts white, usually suffused with a buffy stain. 

 The adult female differs in lacking the red mustachial streaks and in 

 having the front and forecrown black. 



MULLERIPICUS PULVERULENTUS HARTERTI Hesse 



Northern Great Gray Woodpecker 



Miilleripicus pulverulentus harterti Hesse, Orn. Monatsb., vol. 19, 1911, p. 182 

 (Assam ; type specimen from Pya, Upper Chindwin, fide Hesse, Mitt. Zool. 

 Mus. Berlin, vol. 6, 1912, p. 232). 



Miilleripicus pulverulentus harterti, Gyldenstolpe, Kungi. Svenska "Vet.-Akad. 

 Handl., 1913, p. 50 (Ban Huai Horn) ; Journ. Nat. Hist. Soc. Siam, 1915, p. 

 230 (listed) ; Kungl. Svenska Vet.-Akad. Handl., 1916, p. 96 (Doi Pha Sakaeng, 

 Khun Tan) ; Ibis, 1920, p. 605 ("Throughout northern and north-western 

 Siam"). — de Schauensee, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1934, p. 252 

 (Mae Taeng). — Deignan, Journ. Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl., 1936, p. 97 

 (Doi Suthep).— Riley, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 172, 1938, p. 240 (Mae Khan, 

 "Doi Phra Chao" [=Doi Saket?]). 



The largest Thai woodpecker is uncommon but generally distributed 

 in well-wooded districts of the North, occurring in lowland evergreen, 

 in deciduous forest from the plains to the altitudinal limit of this 

 type of vegetation, and, at least on Doi Ang Ka, in tall pines from 



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