Woodpeckers of the World: Picid in Focus: Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos syriacus

Sunday, 7 November 2010

Picid in Focus: Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos syriacus

Syrian Woodpecker. Adult male. This monotypic species occurs from the Middle East northwards into Europe as far as Austria and the Czech Republic in the west, Poland in the north and the Ukraine in the east. In the 20th century the species expanded its range significantly moving into central Europe from the Balkans. Syrian Woodpeckers are not birds of closed forest, rather they inhabit open, lightly wooded secondary habitats such as orchards, vineyards and gardens. Photo: Bogacs, Hungary, Nigel Sprowell.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Background

Woodpeckers, the Picidae, are Piciformes, an order that includes some of the oldest avian lineages. The Piciformes probably originated about 60 million years ago in the Tertiary period and became distinct from their closest relatives some 50 million years ago. Depending upon which taxonomy is followed, and the fact that the status of some species is unclear, around 240-260 woodpecker species probably exist globally. The Picidae includes three subfamilies: Jynginae (wrynecks), Picumninae (piculets) and the Picinae, the “true woodpeckers”. In terms of size, behaviour, distribution and the habitats they use, the Picinae are a fairly diverse group of birds with six distinct tribes. They are widespread and found from sea-level to high-altitudes but absent from the Arctic, Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Madagascar and some other islands. Worldwide woodpeckers are usually, but not exclusively, associated with trees.