Picoides is a
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
of woodpeckers (
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus...
PicidaeThe woodpeckers, piculets and wrynecks are a family, Picidae, of near-passerine birds. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia and New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions...
) found primarily in
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
. The plumage in most species is predominantly black and white, brown and white in some southern species, with the male often having a red (or yellow) badge. Their bills are straight and chisel-shaped. Although in the four-toed species, the toes normally have a zygodactyl or yoked arrangement while on the ground, one toe can be rotated forward for climbing.
Picoides is a
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
of woodpeckers (
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus...
PicidaeThe woodpeckers, piculets and wrynecks are a family, Picidae, of near-passerine birds. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia and New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions...
) found primarily in
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
. The plumage in most species is predominantly black and white, brown and white in some southern species, with the male often having a red (or yellow) badge. Their bills are straight and chisel-shaped. Although in the four-toed species, the toes normally have a zygodactyl or yoked arrangement while on the ground, one toe can be rotated forward for climbing. Some species in this genus are three-toed. All species in this genus feed mainly on insects.
Systematics
The genus is in need of revision. Two species which have a somewhat different color pattern, especially on the head and neck - the
StripedThe Striped Woodpecker is a woodpecker found in southwestern South America. It occurs northwest- and southwestwards of the range of its sister taxon, the Checkered Woodpecker, in the Cordillera Patagonica and its foothills, and in another population in the Andes of Bolivia and the adjacent...
and the
Checkered WoodpeckerThe Checkered Woodpecker, Veniliornis mixtus, is a woodpecker found in eastern South America.This bird is about 5 1/2 inches in length...
- have turned out to belong in
VeniliornisVeniliornis is a genus of bird in the Picidae family. The Smoky-brown Woodpecker, previously V. fumigatus, is now provisionally in the paraphyletic Picoides, while two other species have been moved from there to the present genus....
, a genus most closely related to
Picoides. On the other hand, the
Smoky-brown WoodpeckerThe Smoky-brown Woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family.It is found in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela....
(
Veniliornis fumigatus) seems to be an early offshoot of
Picoides. Its unique coloration (similar to the unrelated
Okinawa WoodpeckerThe is a woodpecker endemic to the island of Okinawa in Japan. It is the only member of the genus Sapheopipo.This is a medium-sized , dark woodpecker. It is dark brown in color with red-tipped feathers. It has white spots on the primaries...
) would be an adaptation to dense forest habitat, although due to its distinctiveness it is not inconceivable that it belongs into a genus of its own and merely is a case of molecular
convergenceConvergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages.The wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action. Although their last common ancestor did not have wings, birds and bats do, and are capable of powered flight. The wings are similar in...
. The American Three-toed Woodpecker was until recently considered conspecific with the
Eurasian-Geography:* Adjective referring to the continent of Eurasia**Eurasian Steppe**Eurasian Plate**Eurasian Avars**Eurasian nomads-Regional organizations:*Eurasian Region, a geographical division of the World Organization of the Scout Movement...
one (Sibley & Monroe 1990), and the
Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerThe Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is a member of the woodpecker family Picidae. It was previously assigned to the genus Dendrocopos , and often still is, but it appears to be closer related to the Downy Woodpecker.The range of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is the Palearctic region, but several...
is often placed in the genus
DendrocoposDendrocopos is a widespread genus of woodpeckers from Asia and Europe and Northern Africa. They range from the Philippines to the British Isles.-List of Species:* Sulawesi Woodpecker, Dendrocopos temminckii...
. Indeed, that genus is sometimes merged into
Picoides, but this is neither generally accepted nor well supported.
Analysis of mtDNA
COIThe enzyme cytochrome c oxidase or Complex IV is a large transmembrane protein complex found in bacteria and the mitochondrion.It is the last enzyme in the respiratory electron transport chain of mitochondria located in the mitochondrial membrane...
and Cyt
b sequencesA DNA sequence or genetic sequence is a succession of letters representing the primary structure of a real or hypothetical DNA molecule or strand, with the capacity to carry information as described by the central dogma of molecular biology....
suggests that
Picoides is really three genera (Moore
et al., 2006). One is a group of small four-toed species and the Eurasian
P. minor, whereas the other group unites the larger species and would include the Smoky-brown Woodpecker. The three-toed species consititute a different lineage closer to some species of
Dendrocopos.
All three groups are notable for the high degree of
convergent evolutionConvergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages.The wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action. Although their last common ancestor did not have wings, birds and bats do, and are capable of powered flight. The wings are similar in...
in plumage patterns existing between them (Weibel & Moore, 2005; Moore
et al., 2006). There are several pairs of species from different groups which are almost alike; the most notable example is the
DownyThe Downy Woodpecker, Picoides pubescens, is the smallest woodpecker in North America. Adults are mainly black on the upper parts and wings, with a white back, throat and belly and white spotting on the wings. There is a white bar above the eye and one below. They have a black tail with white outer...
and
Hairy WoodpeckerThe Hairy Woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker, averaging approximately 250 mm in length with a 380 mm wingspan...
s, which are not closely related but independently evolved a plumage pattern that is identical down to minor details.
- Small group
- Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is a member of the woodpecker family Picidae. It was previously assigned to the genus Dendrocopos , and often still is, but it appears to be closer related to the Downy Woodpecker.The range of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is the Palearctic region, but several...
, Picoides minor - formerly in Dendrocopos
- Downy Woodpecker
The Downy Woodpecker, Picoides pubescens, is the smallest woodpecker in North America. Adults are mainly black on the upper parts and wings, with a white back, throat and belly and white spotting on the wings. There is a white bar above the eye and one below. They have a black tail with white outer...
, Picoides pubescens
- Nuttall's Woodpecker
Nuttall's Woodpecker, Picoides nuttallii, is a species of woodpecker named after naturalist Thomas Nuttall.-Habitat:Nuttall's Woodpecker is common in groves of live oak and chaparral west of the Sierra mountains in the state of California and extends south into the top of the Baja California...
, Picoides nuttallii
- Ladder-backed Woodpecker
The Ladder-backed Woodpecker is a North American woodpecker.-Range and habitat:The Ladder-backed Woodpecker is fairly common in dry brushy areas and thickets and has a rather large range...
, Picoides scalaris
- Large group
- Red-cockaded Woodpecker
About the size of the Northern Cardinal, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker is approximately 8.5 in. long, with a wingspan of about 14 in. and a weight of about 1.5 ounces...
, Picoides borealis
- Smoky-brown Woodpecker
The Smoky-brown Woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family.It is found in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela....
, Picoides fumigatus - formerly in Veniliornis
- Hairy Woodpecker
The Hairy Woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker, averaging approximately 250 mm in length with a 380 mm wingspan...
, Picoides villosus
- White-headed Woodpecker
The White-headed Woodpecker is a non-migratory woodpecker that resides in pine forests of the mountains of western North America. It has a black body and white head. It has white primary feathers that form a crescent in flight...
, Picoides albolarvatus
- Strickland's Woodpecker
The Strickland's Woodpecker is a medium-sized species of woodpecker endemic to Mexico. The Arizona Woodpecker The Strickland's Woodpecker (Picoides stricklandi) is a medium-sized species of woodpecker endemic to Mexico. The Arizona Woodpecker The Strickland's Woodpecker (Picoides stricklandi) is...
, Picoides stricklandi
- Arizona Woodpecker
The Arizona Woodpecker is a woodpecker native to southern Arizona and New Mexico and the Sierra Madre Occidental of western Mexico...
, Picoides arizonae
- Three-toed group (Picoides sensu stricto)
- Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker
The Three-toed Woodpecker, Picoides tridactylus, is a medium-sized woodpecker.The adult is 21.5-24 cm in length. It is black on the head, wings and rump, and white from the throat to the belly; the flanks are white with black bars. The back is white with black bars, and the tail is black with the...
, Picoides tridactylus
- American Three-toed Woodpecker
The American Three-toed woodpecker, Picoides dorsalis is a medium-sized woodpecker .This woodpecker has a length of 21 cm and a wingspan of 38 cm and closely resembles the Black-backed Woodpecker, which is also three-toed. Until recently, it was considered to be the same species as the Eurasian...
, Picoides dorsalis
- Black-backed Woodpecker
The Black-backed Woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker inhabiting the forests of North America. It is a medium sized woodpecker ....
, Picoides arcticus
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