Woodpeckers of the World: February 2012

Friday, 17 February 2012

Literature: Remarkable Woodpeckers

The full title of this book by Stan Tekiela is Remarkable Woodpeckers: Incredible Images and Characteristics. The book does indeed contain some stunning photographs of 22 picid species from Canada and the USA, mostly by Stan Tekiela himself. Though the photography dominates, there are also many short paragraphs on various aspects of woodpecker natural history. Published by Adventure Publications Inc. Cambridge, MN, USA.

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.

Saturday, 25 February 2012

Sounds: Black Woodpecker

Friday, 17 February 2012

Literature: Remarkable Woodpeckers