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Picidae
Yellow-bellied SapsuckerSphyrapicus varius
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus varius
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Subclass: Neornithes
Infraclass: Neognathae
Superorder: Neoaves
Order: Piciformes
Suborder: Pici
Family: Picidae
Vigors, 1825
Subfamilies

Jynginae - wrynecks
Nesoctitinae - Antillean Piculet
Picinae - woodpeckers
Picumninae - typical piculets

The avian family Picidae includes the woodpeckers, piculets and wrynecks. The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus varius, is a medium-sized Woodpecker. Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. Modern birds (subclass Neornithes) are the members of class Aves that have survived into recent times and have coexisted with Humans Modern birds are Neognaths ( Neognathae) are Birds within the Subclass Neornithes of the class Aves. Neognaths ( Neognathae) are Birds within the Subclass Neornithes of the class Aves. Six families of largely arboreal Birds make up the order Piciformes, the best-known of them being the Picidae which includes the Woodpeckers Nicholas Aylward Vigors (1785 &ndash October 26, 1840) was an Irish Zoologist and Politician. Year 1825 ( MDCCCXXV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common In Biological classification, family ( Latin The wrynecks (genus Jynx) are a small but distinctive group of small Old World Woodpeckers Like the true woodpeckers wrynecks have large UserPolbot. --> The Antillean Piculet ( Nesoctites micromegas) is a species of Bird in the Woodpecker The woodpeckers, piculets and wrynecks are a family, Picidae, of Near-passerine Birds. The piculets are a distinctive Subfamily of small Woodpeckers which occur mainly in tropical South America, with just three Asian and one In Biological classification, family ( Latin The woodpeckers, piculets and wrynecks are a family, Picidae, of Near-passerine Birds. The piculets are a distinctive Subfamily of small Woodpeckers which occur mainly in tropical South America, with just three Asian and one The wrynecks (genus Jynx) are a small but distinctive group of small Old World Woodpeckers Like the true woodpeckers wrynecks have large Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar (older name Malagasy Republic) is an Island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern Most species live in forests or woodland habitats, although a few species are known to live in desert areas. A forest is an area with a high density of Trees There are many definitions of a forest based on various criteria Ecologically a woodland is an area covered in trees differentiated from a Forest.

The Picidae are just one of the eight living families in the order Piciformes. This article is about the taxonomic rank for the sequence of species in a taxonomic list see Taxonomic order In scientific classification used Six families of largely arboreal Birds make up the order Piciformes, the best-known of them being the Picidae which includes the Woodpeckers Members of the order Piciformes, such as the jacamars, puffbirds, barbets, toucans and honeyguides, have traditionally been thought to be very closely related to the woodpeckers, piculets and wrynecks. The jacamars are a family, Galbulidae, of Near passerine Birds from tropical South and Central America, extending up to The puffbirds and their relatives in the Near passerine family Bucconidae are tropical birds breeding from South America up to Mexico. Toucans are a family Ramphastidae, of Near-passerine Birds from the Neotropics (i Honeyguides, ( family Indicatoridae) are Near passerine Bird species of the order Piciformes. More recently, DNA sequence analyses have confirmed this view. A DNA sequence or genetic sequence is a succession of letters representing the Primary structure of a real or hypothetical DNA Molecule [1]

There are about over 200 species and about 30 genera in this family. In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic Many species are threatened or endangered due to loss of habitat or habitat fragmentation. Two species of woodpeckers, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker and the Imperial Woodpecker, have been considered extinct for about 30 years (there has been some controversy recently whether these species still exist). The Ivory-billed Woodpecker ( Campephilus principalis) a very large member of the Woodpecker family, Picidae, is officially listed as an The Imperial Woodpecker ( Campephilus imperialis) is a member of the Woodpecker family Picidae.

Contents

Description

The smallest woodpecker is the Bar-breasted Piculet, at 7 g and 8 cm (3. UserPolbot. --> The Bar-breasted Piculet ( Picumnus aurifrons) is a species of Bird in the Picidae 2 inches). The largest woodpecker was the Imperial Woodpecker, at an average of 58 cm (23 inches) and probably over 600 g (1. 3 lb). The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is (or was) slightly smaller at 50 cm (20 inches) and a weight of 500 g (1. 1 lb). If both the Ivory-billed and Imperial Woodpeckers are indeed extinct, the largest extant woodpecker is the Great Slaty Woodpecker of Southeast Asia, at about 50 cm (20 inches) and 450 g (1 lb). UserPolbot. -->The Great Slaty Woodpecker ( Mulleripicus pulverulentus) is a species of Bird in the Most species possess predominantly white, black and brown feathers, although especially Picini and Malarpicini are often green above, and many piculets show a certain amount of gray and olive green. In woodpeckers, many species exhibit patches of red and yellow on their heads and bellies. Although the sexes of Picidae species tend to look alike, many woodpecker species have more prominent red or yellow head markings in males than in females.

A 19th Century lithograph of the Heart-spotted Woodpecker by John Gould.
A 19th Century lithograph of the Heart-spotted Woodpecker
by John Gould. UserPolbot. --> The Heart-spotted Woodpecker ( Hemicircus canente) is a species of Bird in the John Gould ( 14 September 1804 – 3 February 1881) was an English Ornithologist.

Members of the family Picidae have strong bills for drilling and drumming on trees and long sticky tongues for extracting food. Anatomy Stegosaurus --> Beaks can vary significantly in size and shape from species to species Woodpecker bills are typically longer, sharper and stronger than the bills of piculets and wrynecks, however their morphology is very similar. The term morphology in Biology refers to the outward appearance ( Shape, Structure, Colour, Pattern) of an Organism Due to their smaller bill size, many piculets and wrynecks will forage in decaying wood more often than woodpeckers. The long sticky tongues, which possess bristles, aid these birds in grabbing and extracting insects deep within a hole of a tree. A bristle is a stiff Hair or Feather. Also used are synthetic materials such as nylon or straw in items such as brooms and sweepers

Woodpeckers, piculets and wrynecks all possess zygodactyl feet. In Biology, dactyly is the arrangement of digits ( Fingers and Toes on the Hands feet, or sometimes Wings of a Zygodactyl feet consist of four toes, the first and the fourth facing frontward and the second and third facing back. This type of foot arrangement is good for grasping the limbs and trunks of trees. Members of this family can walk vertically up a tree trunk, which is beneficial for activities such as foraging for food or nest excavation.

The diet of these birds consists mainly of insects, such as ants and beetles, nuts, seeds, berries, some fruit and sap. Species may feed generally on all of these, or may specialize on one or two.

All members of the family Picidae nest in cavities. A bird nest is the spot in which a Bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young Woodpeckers and piculets will excavate their own nests, but wrynecks will not. The excavated nest is usually only lined from the wood chips produced as the hole was made. Many species of woodpeckers excavate one hole per breeding season, sometimes after multiple attempts. It takes around a month to finish the job. Abandoned holes are used by many other birds and animals, such as flying squirrels. The flying squirrels, scientifically known as Pteromyini or Petauristini, are a tribe of Squirrels ( family Sciuridae)

Members of Picidae are typically monogamous. Monogamy is the custom or condition of having only one mate in a Relationship, thus forming a Couple. A pair will work together to help build the nest, incubate the eggs and raise their altricial young. Incubation is the process by which Birds hatch their eggs, and to the development of the Embryo within the egg Altricial means "requiring nourishment" and refers to a pattern of growth and development in organisms which are incapable of moving around on their own soon after hatching or However, in most species the male does most of the nest excavation and takes the night shift while incubating the eggs. A nest will usually consist of 2-5 round white eggs. Since these birds are cavity nesters their eggs do not need to be camouflaged and the white color helps the parents to see them in dim light. The eggs are incubated for about 11-14 days before the chicks are born. It takes about 18-30 days before the young are ready to leave the nest.

Picidae species can either be sedentary or migratory. Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys undertaken by many species of Birds Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability Many species are known to stay in the same area year around while others, such as the Eurasian Wryneck and the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, travel great distances from their breeding grounds to their wintering ground. The Eurasian Wryneck, Jynx torquilla, is a species of Wryneck in the family of Woodpeckers This species breeds in temperate regions of Europe The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus varius, is a medium-sized Woodpecker.

Systematics and evolution

The phylogeny has been updated according to new knowledge about convergence patterns and evolutionary history[2]. In the absence of a more specific context convergence denotes the approach toward a definite value as time goes on or to a definite point a common view or opinion or Most notably, the relationship of the picine genera has been largely clarified, and it was determined that the Antillean Piculet is a surviving offshoot of proto-woodpeckers.

The evolutionary history of this group is not well documented, but the known fossils allow some preliminary conclusions: the earliest known modern picids were piculet-like forms of the Late Oligocene, about 25 million years ago (mya). The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene period and extends from about 33 Annum is one form of the Latin noun meaning Year, not a form normally used for derivatives in modern languages the accusative singular By that time, however, the group was already present in the Americas and Europe, and it is hypothesized that they actually evolved much earlier, maybe as early as the Early Eocene (50 mya). The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America The Eocene epoch (558 ± 02 - 339 ± 01 Ma) is a major division of the Geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Palaeogene period in The modern subfamilies appear to be rather young by comparison; until the mid-Miocene (10-15 mya), all picids seem to have been small or mid-sized birds similar to a mixture between a piculet and a wryneck. The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene period and extends from about 23 On the other hand, there exists a feather enclosed in fossil amber from the Domincan Republic, dated to about 25 mya, which seems to indicate that the Nesoctitinae were already a distinct lineage by then[3]. Amber is Fossil tree Resin, which is appreciated for its color and beauty

Prehistoric representatives of the extant Picidae genera are treated in the genus articles. An enigmatic form based on a coracoid found in Pliocene deposits of New Providence, Bahamas, has been described as Bathoceleus hyphalus and probably also is a woodpecker[4]. A coracoid is a paired bone which is part of the shoulder assembly in all Vertebrates except therian mammals (therians = Marsupials and Placentals The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts is the period in the Geologic timescale that extends New Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas. While the first European visitors to the Bahama Islands were Bermudian salt rakers gathering The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an independent sovereign English -speaking country consisting of two thousand Cays and

Young Eurasian Wryneck (Jynx torquilla), a relative of the woodpeckers
Young Eurasian Wryneck (Jynx torquilla), a relative of the woodpeckers
Ochre-collared Piculet (Picumnus temminckii)
Ochre-collared Piculet (Picumnus temminckii)

Prehistoric taxa

Basal

Incertae sedis

Subfamily Jynginae: Wrynecks

Subfamily Picumninae: Typical piculets

Subfamily Nesoctitinae: Antillean Piculet

Subfamily Picinae: Woodpeckers

Incertae sedis

Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)

Tribe Dendropicini

Female Yellow-shafted Flicker (Colaptes auratus auratus)
Female Yellow-shafted Flicker (Colaptes auratus auratus)

Tribe Malarpicini

The famous Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) may or may not be extinct
The famous Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) may or may not be extinct

Tribe Picini

Tribe Megapicini

Footnotes

  1. ^ Johansson & Ericson (2003)
  2. ^ Benz et al. UserPolbot. --> Mulleripicus is a genus of Birds in the Picidae family Dryocopus is a genus of large powerful Woodpeckers typically 35-45 cm in length Celeus is a genus of Woodpeckers found in tropical and subtropical forests and woodland in Central and South America. UserPolbot. --> Piculus is a genus of Bird in the Picidae family A Genus of Bird encompassing many members of the Woodpecker family Campephilus is a Genus of large American Woodpeckers in the Family Picidae. In Biology and Ecology, extinction is the cessation of existence of a Species or group of taxa. The flamebacks are large Woodpeckers which are resident breeders in tropical southern Asia. The Orange-backed Woodpecker, Reinwardtipicus validus, is a Woodpecker found in Indonesia. UserPolbot. --> Blythipicus is a genus of Birds in the Picidae family UserPolbot. --> Gecinulus is a genus of Birds in the Picidae family The is a Woodpecker endemic to the island of Okinawa in Japan. (2006), Moore et al. (2006)
  3. ^ Grimaldi & Case (1995)
  4. ^ Cracraft & Morony (1969)
  5. ^ Moore et al. (2006)

References

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