Woodpeckers of the World: April 2016

Tuesday, 5 April 2016

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at its wells

This is a female (note the white throat) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius). Note the sap wells on the coco-palm tree. This species does not breed in Cuba, but winters in good numbers. The hole is probably not hers. Photo: Gerard Gorman, March, 2016, in Cuba.

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.