Cardinal Woodpecker (Dendropicos fuscescens) - HBW 7, p. 465

Taxonomy: Picus fuscescens Vieillot, 1818, Swellendam district, Cape Province, South Africa.
Sometimes regarded as forming a superspecies with D. abyssinicus. Races often treated as comprising three geographical groups: NE “hemprichii group”, also including massaicus; W & C “lafresnayi group”, also including sharpii and lepidus; and S “fuscescens group”, which also contains intermedius, centralis and hartlaubii. Races intergrade to variable extent, also interbreed, especially in E & S. Numerous other described races are all considered insufficiently differentiated to warrant recognition: cosensi, known from single type specimen (Senegal), is merged with lafresnayi, and camerunensis (Cameroon) with sharpii; chyulu (Chyulu Hills, in S Kenya) is synonymized with hartlaubii; loandae (N Angola to W Zaire) is synonymized with centralis, as are camacupae (Angolan plateau E to Malawi), stresemanni (N Namibia) and capriviensis (SW Zambia to N Botswana); harei (S Namibia) and orangensis (Orange River Basin in E South Africa) are lumped with nominate; and transvaalensis (S Zimbabwe and NE Transvaal), noomei (coastal S Mozambique and NE Natal) and natalensis (lowland E Transvaal and Natal) are regarded as synonyms of intermedius. Nine subspecies recognized.