Gray-Headed Woodpecker

The gray-headed woodpecker is also known as the gray-faced woodpecker (Picus canus). We saw one while staying at Diphlu Lodge next to Kaziranga NP in Assam, India. There are ten subspecies, two with gray napes and eight with black napes. They are found from western Norway and Spain  in a relatively narrow band to eastern Russia, China and upper Southeast Asia. We saw the subspecies P. c. hessei, of the black naped variety. It is found from Nepal to northeast India to Myanmar and Indochina. There is quite a bit of variability between subspecies. 

Range for gray-headed woodpecker, from Birds of the World. 

In general, the male has a red forehead and forecrown, a black hindcrown (with some gray streaks) and nape, black lores, pale gray supercilium with the rest of the head light gray, with pale mustache and malar stripes enclosing thin black submustaches; upperparts dark green with golden tinge, brighter yellowish on the rump; flightfeathers gray/black to to brown/black; etc. The description is quite detailed and a picture is worth a thousand words. The female forehead and crown is pale-streaked black.

Illustration of subspecies P. c. hessei from Birds of the World. 

In this photo you can see the black hindcrown and nape and red crown and fore crown. 

This photo best reveals the gray head in contrast to the otherwise green body.