The brown-capped pygmy woodpecker aka the Indian pygmy woodpecker (Yungipicus nanus) is a very small woodpecker found in Nepal, India and S Lanka. Arguably it is considered to be the smallest true woodpecker of India (barring Piculets). Nanus=Latin/ancient Greek, meaning dwarf or small.
It is tiny, brown and white with distinctive pink-rimmed white iris. Barred brown and white above, lightly streaked dirty white below. Tail spotted white. Paler brown crown (edged red in male) and eyestripes contrasting with white supercilia and cheeks.
The habitats they prefer are deciduous forests, open forests and forest edges.These are highly active bird, forages in the canopy for small invertebrates like ants, termites, beetles, larvae, and spiders, while occasionally feeding on nectar, fruit, and berries
Emits a short, rapid chittering trill that quickly rises and falls.
Shot in Coorg, 2026 – Dr. Bishan Monnappa
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