Woodpeckers of the World: Imperial Woodpecker on Film

Thursday, 27 October 2011

Imperial Woodpecker on Film

An article in the The Auk (128 (4): 671-677, 2011) entiltled FILM DOCUMENTATION OF THE PROBABLY EXTINCT IMPERIAL WOODPECKER (CAMPEPHILUS IMPERIALIS) is essential reading for all picid enthusiasts. The Imperial Woodpecker of Mexico was the largest woodpecker in the world until it became extinct (probably) in the late 20th century. This paper describes a recently discovered 16-mm colour film of the species taken in 1956 by the late William L. Rhein. More on this story and paper here: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Page.aspx?pid=2163

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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.