Red-crowned Woodpecker

SCI Name:  Melanerpes rubricapillus
Protonym:  Centurus rubricapillus J.Orn. 10 p.328
Taxonomy:  Piciformes / Picidae / Melanerpes
Taxonomy Code:  recwoo1
Type Locality:  Barranquilla, Colombia.
Author:  Cabanis
Publish Year:  1862
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

MELANERPES
(Picidae; Ϯ Red-headed Woodpecker M. erythrocephalus) Gr. μελας melas, μελανος melanos  black; ἑρπης herpēs  creeper  < ἑρπω herpō  to crawl; "1. MELANERPES ERYTHROCEPHALUS. (Sw.)  Red-headed Woodpecker.   GENUS, Melanerpes*, SWAINS.   Sub-genus, (Typical form) SWAINS.   ...   This Woodpecker, so well known in the United States for the havoc it commits in the orchards, ranges in summer from the northern shores of Lake Huron to the Gulf of Mexico.   ...   *Th. μελας, niger, et ερπο, repo" (Swainson 1832); "Melanerpes Swainson, Fauna Bor.-Am., 2, 1831 (1832), p. 316. Type, by monotypy, Picus erythrocephalus Linné." (Peters 1948, VI, 157).
Var. Melanoherpes, Malanerpes.
Synon. Asyndesmus, Balanosphyra, Cactocraugus, Centurus, Chryserpes, Colombpicus, Leuconerpes, Leucopicus, Linneopicus, Melampicos, Meropicus, Phymatoblepharus, Trichopicus, Trichopipo, Tripsurus, Zebrapicus.

rubricapilla / rubricapillum / rubricapillus
L. ruber, rubra  red; -capillus  -capped, -crowned  < capillus  hair of the head.
● ex “Pigeon violet à tête rouge d’Antigue” of Sonnerat 1776, and “Red-crowned Pigeon” of Latham 1783 (syn. Alectroenas pulcherrimus).
● ex “Tordo negro cabeza roxa” of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 73 (syn. Amblyramphus holosericeus).
● ex “Red-crown Barbet” of Brown 1776, and “Red-crowned Barbet” of Latham 1782 (Psilopogon).

SUBSPECIES

Red-crowned Woodpecker (rubricapillus)
SCI Name: Melanerpes rubricapillus rubricapillus
rubricapilla / rubricapillum / rubricapillus
L. ruber, rubra  red; -capillus  -capped, -crowned  < capillus  hair of the head.
● ex “Pigeon violet à tête rouge d’Antigue” of Sonnerat 1776, and “Red-crowned Pigeon” of Latham 1783 (syn. Alectroenas pulcherrimus).
● ex “Tordo negro cabeza roxa” of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 73 (syn. Amblyramphus holosericeus).
● ex “Red-crown Barbet” of Brown 1776, and “Red-crowned Barbet” of Latham 1782 (Psilopogon).

Red-crowned Woodpecker (subfusculus)
SCI Name: Melanerpes rubricapillus subfusculus
subfusculus
L. sub beneath, somewhat; Mod. L. fusculus somewhat dusky < dim. L. fuscus dusky.

Red-crowned Woodpecker (seductus)
SCI Name: Melanerpes rubricapillus seductus
seductus
L. seductus remote, distant < seducere to separate.
● “referring to the great extension of the habitat of the species [Megascops (kennicottii) vinaceus] into southern Mexico” (Moore 1941) (Megascops).

Red-crowned Woodpecker (paraguanae)
SCI Name: Melanerpes rubricapillus paraguanae
paraguanae
Paraguaná Peninsula, Falcón, Venezuela.