Sulu pygmy woodpecker

Last updated

Sulu pygmy woodpecker
IyngipicusRamsayiSmit.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Genus: Yungipicus
Species:
Y. ramsayi
Binomial name
Yungipicus ramsayi
Hargitt, 1881
Synonyms

Picoides ramsayi
Dendrocopos ramsayi(Hargitt, 1881)

Contents

The Sulu pygmy woodpecker (Yungipicus ramsayi), also known as the Sulu woodpecker, is a species of bird in the family Picidae. Formerly lumped with the Philippine pygmy woodpecker (Y. maculatus), it seems to form a superspecies with this and the Sulawesi pygmy woodpecker (Y. temminckii). Some taxonomic authorities continue to place this species in the genus Dendrocopos or Picoides .

It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forest, tropical mangrove forest, and arable land. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Description

EBird describes the bird as "A small woodpecker of lowland wooded areas on the Sulu Islands. Dark brown above with some white spots on the back, a white rump, throat, and underparts with faint streaking, and buffy sides of the chest. Note the alternating dark brown and white stripes on the head, with a dark forecrown. Hind crown is dark in females and bright red in males. Unmistakable. No other similarly sized woodpeckers occur in its range. Voice includes a series of rapid notes in a forceful trill." [2] [ better source needed ]

The species is named after Captain Wardlaw Ramsay from whose collection the species was described by Hargitt. Specimens were claimed to have been obtained from Borneo but the locality was not certain until new specimens were obtained from Sulu Island by Guillemard. [3]

Habitat and conservation status

It inhabits forest clearings, forest edge, mangroves and cultivated areas, in addition to primary forest, although it has been speculated that it avoids dense forest. It is seen in altitudes up to 550 meters above sea level. [4] However, its habitat preferences are poorly understood. Its tolerance of degraded habitats implies that it should be more numerous than is the case.

The IUCN Red List classifies this bird as a vulnerable with population estimates of 2,500 to 9,999 mature individuals. Although this species is supposedly more tolerant of habitat degradation, it is still threatened by habitat loss with wholesale clearance of forest habitats as a result of legal and illegal logging, mining, conversion into farmlands or palm oil plantations and urbanization. Due to the rapid loss of habitat in the Sulu Archipelago, many of the birds endemic to the region like the Sulu hornbill, Tawitawi brown dove, Blue-winged racket-tail, Sulu hawk-owl are all threatened with extinction.

There are no species specific conservation programs going on at the moment but conservation actions proposed include more species surveys to better understand habitat and population. Lobby for protection of remaining forest. Continue to expand environmental awareness programs and raise the species profile and instill pride in locals

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sulu hornbill</span> Species of bird

The Sulu hornbill, or Montano's hornbill, is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is endemic to the Sulu archipelago in the Philippines, with the remaining populations in Tawi-Tawi with it believed to be hunted to extinction on Jolo. Its natural habitat is tropical moist forests. It is threatened by habitat loss as well as potential harvesting for food. Its diet includes fruit, insects, and small lizards.

The Tawitawi brown dove, also dark-eared brown dove, is a threatened species of bird in the family Columbidae noted for its orange-peach breast. It is endemic to forests in the Sulu Archipelago in the Philippines. Until recently it was considered conspecific with the Mindanao brown dove and collectively called the dark-eared brown dove. Although threatened by habitat loss, the rate of loss significantly reduced from 2004 to 2007, and it was thus downlisted from Critically Endangered to Endangered status in the 2007 IUCN Red List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-bibbed cicadabird</span> Species of bird

The black-bibbed cicadabird or black-bibbed cuckooshrike is a species of bird in the family Campephagidae. It is endemic to the Philippines. The species is elusive and poorly known.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whiskered flowerpecker</span> Species of bird

The whiskered flowerpecker is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. It is endemic to the island of Mindanao in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wattled broadbill</span> Species of bird

The wattled broadbill or Mindanao broadbill is a species of bird in the family Eurylaimidae where it was previously conspecific to the Visayan broadbill. It It is endemic to the islands of Mindanao, Basilan, Dinagat and Siargao in the Philippines. It is one of the most striking birds in the country with its sky-blue wattle and bill and yellow wing patch. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forest, tropical mangrove forest, and tropical moist shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mindanao white-eye</span> Species of bird

The Mindanao white-eye, also known as the black-masked white-eye, is a species of bird in the family Zosteropidae. The specific epithet honours British zoological collector Walter Goodfellow. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashy-breasted flycatcher</span> Species of bird

The ashy-breasted flycatcher is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to the Philippines found only on the islands of Negros and Luzon. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

The whiskered pitta is a rare species of bird in the family Pittidae. It is endemic to Luzon in the Philippines. This bird is the largest pitta in the country reaching 23 cm long and 116 g in mass. It has a brownish head, blue breast, and red belly. It has broad ash malar or "whiskers". Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forest and tropical moist montane forest. It is threatened by habitat loss and trapping. It is one of the most sought after birds by birdwatchers in the Philippines.

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

The grey-capped pygmy woodpecker is an Asian bird species of the woodpecker family (Picidae). It has a subspecies, Yungipicus canicapillus doerriesi, located primarily in Manchuria, eastern Siberia, and Korea. Some taxonomic authorities continue to place this species in the genus Dendrocopos or Picoides.

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

The Philippine pygmy woodpecker, also known as the Philippine woodpecker, is a species of bird in the woodpecker family (Picidae). Its local name in Kapampangan is Anluage.

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

The Sunda pygmy woodpecker, also known as the Sunda woodpecker, is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Some taxonomic authorities continue to place this species in the genus Dendrocopos or Picoides.

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

The Sulawesi pygmy woodpecker, also known as the Sulawesi woodpecker, is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is endemic to Sulawesi in Indonesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist mountains. Some taxonomic authorities continue to place this species in the genus Dendrocopos or Picoides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spot-throated flameback</span> Species of bird

The spot-throated flameback is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is endemic to the Philippines only being found in the province of Palawan in the islands of Balabac, Busuanga and Calamian and mainland Palawan.. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the common flameback.It is found in moist lowland forests including primary, secondary and even plantations and clearings provided there are still standing trees. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tablas fantail</span> Species of bird

The Tablas fantail is a fantail endemic to the Philippines on Tablas Island. Until recently, it was considered conspecific with the blue-headed fantail and Visayan fantail. It is threatened by habitat loss.

The Mindanao boobook or Mindanao hawk-owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae that is endemic to the Philippines on the island of Mindanao. It was previously known as a subspecies of the Philippine hawk-owl, but was reclassified in 2012, as voice and other evidence suggested it a distinct species. It is found in tropical moist lowland forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.

The Mindoro boobook or Mindoro hawk-owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae that is endemic to the Philippines.

The Romblon boobook or Romblon hawk-owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae that is endemic to the Philippines. It is only found on the islands of Tablas, Sibuyan and Romblon. It was previously known as a subspecies of the Philippine hawk-owl, but was reclassified in 2012, as voice and other evidence suggested it was a distinct species. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.

The Sulu boobook or Sulu hawk-owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is endemic to the Sulu Archipelago in the Philippines. It was previously known as a subspecies of the Philippine hawk-owl, but was reclassified in 2012, as voice and other evidence suggested it was a distinct species. It is found in tropical moist lowland forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.

The southern sooty woodpecker is a bird in the family Picidae. It is endemic to the Philippines, where it occurs in lowland evergreen forest up to 500 m (1,600 ft) in elevation, on the islands of Mindanao, Leyte, and Samar. It is threatened by habitat loss.

The Mindoro racket-tail is a species of parrot in the Psittaculinae family. It was formerly considered conspecific with the blue-crowned racket-tail. It is endemic to the island of Mindoro in the Philippines and it occurs in tropical moist lowland forest. It is threatened by habitat loss and trapping for the cage-bird trade.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2017). "Picoides ramsayi". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . IUCN. 2017: e.T22681052A116896688. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22681052A116896688.en . Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  2. "Sulu Pygmy Woodpecker". Ebird.
  3. Guillemard, F. H. H. (1885). "Report on the Collections of Birds made during the Voyage of the Yacht Marchesa.—I. A Provisional List of the Birds inhabiting the Sulu Archipelago". Proceedings of the Scientific Meetings of the Zoological Society of London: 247–275.
  4. Allen, Desmond (2020). Birds of the Philippines. Barcelona: Lynx and Birdlife International Guides. pp. 218–219.