Woodpeckers of the World: Social Woodpeckers: Magellanic Woodpecker

Tuesday, 19 May 2015

Social Woodpeckers: Magellanic Woodpecker

Some woodpeckers are, to varying degrees, social in nature. One such species is the Magellanic Woodpecker Campephilus magellanicus of South America which is often seen in foraging family clans of 3-5 individuals. Young Magellanics may remain in contact with their parents for 3-4 years after fledging. These three, one male above and one below a female, were photographed in Argentina in December 2010 (Gerard Gorman).

2 comments:

Dominic Garcia-Hall20 June 2015 at 03:17
I remember my first ever sighting of magellanic wodpecker was a family unit consisting of 6 birds, in Cerro Bayo, Neuquen, Arg. They stayed tightly knit foraging in nothofagus forest only a few feet from me for 30 mins. In the 14 years since that sighting I've yet to see such a noisy and confiding family group of this species. It remains my favorite picid!
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Gerard Gorman26 June 2015 at 11:05
Thanks Dominic, yes, it is a memorable species!
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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.