Dendropicos

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Dendropicos
Male Cardinal Woodpecker (Dendropicos fuscescens).jpg
Cardinal woodpecker (Dendropicos fuscescens)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Tribe: Melanerpini
Genus: Dendropicos
Malherbe, 1849
Type species
Dendropicos lafresnayi (cardinal woodpecker)
Malherbe, 1849
Species

see text

Dendropicos is a genus of woodpeckers in the family Picidae. They are small woodpeckers that are native to the sub-Saharan woodlands and forests. [1]

Contents

Taxonomy

The genus Dendropicos was introduced by the French ornithologist, Alfred Malherbe in 1849. [2] The type species was subsequently designated as one of the subspecies of the cardinal woodpecker. [3] [4] The word Dendropicos comes from the Greek dendron meaning tree and pikos for woodpecker. [5] Molecular genetic studies have shown that the genus Dendropicos is sister to the genus Chloropicus . [6]

The genus Dendropicos formerly contained several additional species. A 2015 molecular phylogenetic study that analysed nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences from pied woodpeckers found that Dendropicos was polyphyletic. In the rearranged genera the bearded, fire-bellied and yellow breasted woodpeckers were moved to Chloropicus while the Arabian woodpecker was moved to Dendrocoptes . [7] [8] The taxonomic committee of the British Ornithologists' Union have recommended an alternative arrangement of species in which the genera Dendrocoptes and Leiopicus are combined into a larger Dendropicos. [9]

Elliot's, African grey, eastern grey and olive woodpeckers are sometimes placed in a separate genus, Mesopicos. [1]

The genus contains the following 12 species: [8]

ImageCommon NameScientific nameDistribution
Dendropicus minutus - 1700-1880 - Print - Iconographia Zoologica - Special Collections University of Amsterdam - UBA01 IZ18700187 (cropped).tif Little grey woodpecker Dendropicos elachusCameroon, Chad, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sudan
Die Vogel Afrikas (6425133621), Dendropicos poecilolaemus.jpg Speckle-breasted woodpecker Dendropicos poecilolaemusCameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda.
Abyssinian Woodpecker, crop.jpg Abyssinian woodpecker Dendropicos abyssinicusEritrea and Ethiopia
Cardinal Woodpecker - MALE, Dendropicos fuscescens at Pilanesberg National Park, Northwest Province, South Africa (15091608612).jpg Cardinal woodpecker Dendropicos fuscescensAngola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe
Dendropicos gabonensis Keulemans.jpg Gabon woodpecker Dendropicos gabonensisSouthern Nigeria to south-western Cameroon
Gabon Woodpecker - Ghana S4E2409 (16224282519).jpg Melancholy woodpecker Dendropicos lugubrisCameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo
Die Vogel Afrikas (6425133621), Dendropicos stierlingi.jpg Stierling's woodpecker Dendropicos stierlingisouthern Tanzania, southwestern Malawi and northern Mozambique
Elliot's woodpecker Dendropicos elliotiiAngola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda
Grey Woodpecker ...Gambia (33190095995), crop.jpg African grey woodpecker Dendropicos goertaeAngola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda
Gray Woodpecker - KenyaNH8O2206, crop.jpg Eastern grey woodpecker Dendropicos spodocephalusEthiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan and Tanzania
Olive Woodpecker - South Africa, crop.jpg Olive woodpecker Dendropicos griseocephalusAngola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
Brown-backed Woodpecker - Gambia (31838114303), crop.jpg Brown-backed woodpecker Dendropicos obsoletusBenin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda

Description

Only males have red plumage in the crown, and some species have red plumage on the rump or belly in either sex. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Picinae</span> Subfamily of birds

Picinae containing the true woodpeckers is one of four subfamilies that make up the woodpecker family Picidae. True woodpeckers are found over much of the world, but do not occur in Madagascar or Australasia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hairy woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The hairy woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker that is found over a large area of North America. It is approximately 250 mm (9.8 in) in length with a 380 mm (15 in) wingspan. With an estimated population in 2020 of almost nine million individuals, the hairy woodpecker is listed by the IUCN as a species of least concern. Some nomenclature authorities, such as the eBird/Clements checklist, place this species in the genus Dryobates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middle spotted woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The middle spotted woodpecker is a European woodpecker belonging to the genus Dendrocoptes.

<i>Campephilus</i> Genus of birds

Campephilus is a genus of large American woodpeckers in the family Picidae.

<i>Dryocopus</i> Genus of birds

Dryocopus is a genus of large powerful woodpeckers, typically 35–45 cm in length. It has representatives in North and South America, Europe, and Asia; some South American species are endangered. It was believed to be closely related to the American genus Campephilus, but it is part of a different lineage of woodpeckers altogether

<i>Picoides</i> Genus of birds

Picoides is a genus of woodpeckers that are native to Eurasia and North America, commonly known as three-toed woodpeckers.

<i>Colaptes</i> Genus of birds

Colaptes is a genus of birds in the woodpecker family Picidae. The 14 species are found across the Americas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-crowned woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The yellow-crowned woodpecker or Mahratta woodpecker is a species of small pied woodpecker found in the Indian subcontinent. It is the only species placed in the genus Leiopicus.

<i>Dendrocopos</i> Genus of birds

Dendrocopos is a widespread genus of woodpeckers from Asia, Europe and Northern Africa. The species range from the Philippines to the British Isles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardinal woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The cardinal woodpecker is a widespread and common resident breeder in much of sub-Saharan Africa. It occurs in a wide range of habitats, ranging from dense forest to thorn bush. It is fairly vocal and is easily identified by its call notes. The sexes are distinguishable by their head patterns.

<i>Blythipicus</i> Genus of birds

Blythipicus is a genus of birds in the woodpecker family Picidae that are found in Southeast Asia.

<i>Campethera</i> Genus of birds

Campethera is a genus of bird in the family Picidae, or woodpeckers, that are native to sub-Saharan Africa. Most species are native to woodland and savanna rather than deep forest, and multiple species exhibit either arboreal or terrestrial foraging strategies. Its nearest relative is the monotypic genus Geocolaptes of southern Africa, which employs terrestrial foraging and breeding strategies. They are however not close relatives of similar-looking woodpeckers in the "Dendropicos clade".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown-backed woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The brown-backed woodpecker is a species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in a belt across the savannah region of sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania in the east. It is generally uncommon, but has a very large range and the population appears to be steady, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olive woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The olive woodpecker is a species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae.

<i>Mulleripicus</i> Genus of birds

Mulleripicus is a genus of birds in the woodpecker family Picidae. They are found in South and Southeast Asia. The genus forms part of the woodpecker subfamily Picinae and has a sister relationship to the genus Dryocopus whose species are widely distributed in Eurasia and the Americas.

<i>Piculus</i> Genus of birds

Piculus is a genus of birds in the woodpecker family Picidae that are found in Central and South America.

<i>Leuconotopicus</i> Genus of birds

Leuconotopicus is a genus of woodpeckers in the family Picidae native to North and South America.

<i>Yungipicus</i> Genus of birds

Yungipicus is a genus of woodpeckers in the family Picidae native to Asia. The species in this genus were previously placed in the genus Dendrocopos.

<i>Dendrocoptes</i> Genus of birds

Dendrocoptes is a genus of woodpeckers in the native to Eurasia.

<i>Chloropicus</i> Genus of birds

Chloropicus is a genus of birds in the woodpecker family Picidae that are native to Sub-Saharan Africa.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Gorman, Gerard (2014). Woodpeckers of the World: The Complete Guide (Helm Photographic Guides). London: Bloomsbury. p. 165. ISBN   978-1408147153.
  2. Malherbe, Alfred (1849). "Nouvelle classification des picinée ou pics". Mémoires de l'Académie nationale de Metz (in French). 30: 316, 338.
  3. Sclater, William Lutley (1921). "Genus Dendropicos". Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 42: 25.
  4. Dickinson, E.C.; Remsen, J.V. Jr., eds. (2013). The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Vol. 1: Non-passerines (4th ed.). Eastbourne, UK: Aves Press. p. 312. ISBN   978-0-9568611-0-8.
  5. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . London: Christopher Helm. p.  133. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  6. Shakya, S.B.; Fuchs, J.; Pons, J.-M.; Sheldon, F.H. (2017). "Tapping the woodpecker tree for evolutionary insight". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 116: 182–191. Bibcode:2017MolPE.116..182S. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2017.09.005 . PMID   28890006.
  7. Fuchs, J.; Pons, J.M. (2015). "A new classification of the pied woodpeckers assemblage (Dendropicini, Picidae) based on a comprehensive multi-locus phylogeny". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 88: 28–37. Bibcode:2015MolPE..88...28F. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2015.03.016. PMID   25818851.
  8. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David (eds.). "Woodpeckers". World Bird List Version 6.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  9. Sangster, G.; et al. (2016). "Taxonomic recommendations for Western Palearctic birds: 11th report". Ibis. 158 (1): 206–212. doi:10.1111/ibi.12322. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg