Woodpeckers of the World: March 2020

Sunday, 29 March 2020

Puerto Rican Woodpecker

Puerto Rican Woodpecker Melanerpes portoricensis, male. Puerto Rico, November 2014, by Gerard Gorman.

Sunday, 22 March 2020

Male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

A male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dryobates minor) perched on the top of dry snag. This is the smallest picid species in Europe. SE France, March 2020. Thanks/Merci to J-M Bompar.

Saturday, 14 March 2020

Magellanic Woodpecker

Male Magellanic Woodpecker Campephilus magellanicus, Chile, February 2020. A great shot of a foraging bird by Paul Harris.

Wednesday, 4 March 2020

Male Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker

Male Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus, nominate race. Belarus, May 2019, by David Carlsson.

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.