Piculet
Encyclopedia
The piculets are a distinctive subfamily of small woodpecker
s which occur mainly in tropical South America
, with just three Asia
n and one Africa
n species
.
Like the true woodpeckers, piculets have large heads, long tongues which they use to extract their insect
prey and zygodactyl feet, with two toes pointing forward, and two backwards. However, but they lack the stiff tail feathers that the true woodpeckers use when climbing trees, so they are more likely than their relatives to perch on a branch rather than an upright trunk.
Their bills are shorter and less dagger-like than the true woodpeckers, so they look for insects and grubs mainly in decaying wood. Similarly, they re-use woodpecker holes for nesting, rather than making their own holes. The eggs are white, as with many hole nesters.
Typically these birds have grey or dull green upperparts and dark-streaked white underparts.
, c. 8 MYA, as the point where the two genera divided into their two respective lineages. At that time, there was a notable global cooling
period. The molecular distances between piculets and woodpeckers are comparatively small for subfamilies, agreeing with the hypothesis that the split between the three groups of woodpecker-like picids subfamilies occurred only during the Miocene climate optimum, around 15 MYA. The later radiation of South American piculets is probably to changes in topology
and climate fluctuations during the Pliocene
and Pleistocene
. The genus Verreauxia may be accepted because of pronounced morphological similarities, but the two Picumnus lineages, despite having diverged long ago, are virtually alike except for head coloration (Fuchs et al., 2006).
The Antillean Piculet
(Nesoctites micromegas) has proven to be a very distinct species evolutionarily between piculets and woodpeckers (Benz et al., 2006) and thus is nowadays placed in a subfamily of its own.
The arrangement of species in the genera follows del Hoyo et al. (2002).
Genus Picumnus
Genus Verreauxia (sometimes included in Sasia)
Genus Sasia
Woodpecker
Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....
s which occur mainly in tropical South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, with just three Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n and one Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
.
Like the true woodpeckers, piculets have large heads, long tongues which they use to extract their insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
prey and zygodactyl feet, with two toes pointing forward, and two backwards. However, but they lack the stiff tail feathers that the true woodpeckers use when climbing trees, so they are more likely than their relatives to perch on a branch rather than an upright trunk.
Their bills are shorter and less dagger-like than the true woodpeckers, so they look for insects and grubs mainly in decaying wood. Similarly, they re-use woodpecker holes for nesting, rather than making their own holes. The eggs are white, as with many hole nesters.
Typically these birds have grey or dull green upperparts and dark-streaked white underparts.
Systematics and evolution
Although not well known from fossils, the evolution of piculets is now considered rather straightforward. The disjunct occurrence of the genera, with one African species of the Southeast Asian Sasia and one Southeast Asian species of the American Picumnus is of comparatively recent origin. Molecular dating, calibrated with geographic events in the absence of a good fossil record, points at the Late MioceneMiocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
, c. 8 MYA, as the point where the two genera divided into their two respective lineages. At that time, there was a notable global cooling
Global cooling
Global cooling was a conjecture during the 1970s of imminent cooling of the Earth's surface and atmosphere along with a posited commencement of glaciation...
period. The molecular distances between piculets and woodpeckers are comparatively small for subfamilies, agreeing with the hypothesis that the split between the three groups of woodpecker-like picids subfamilies occurred only during the Miocene climate optimum, around 15 MYA. The later radiation of South American piculets is probably to changes in topology
Topology
Topology is a major area of mathematics concerned with properties that are preserved under continuous deformations of objects, such as deformations that involve stretching, but no tearing or gluing...
and climate fluctuations during the Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
and Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
. The genus Verreauxia may be accepted because of pronounced morphological similarities, but the two Picumnus lineages, despite having diverged long ago, are virtually alike except for head coloration (Fuchs et al., 2006).
The Antillean Piculet
Antillean Piculet
The Antillean Piculet is a species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae. It is monotypic within the genus Nesoctites. The species is evolutionarily distinct from the other piculets and is afforded its own subfamily Nesoctitinae. It is endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola...
(Nesoctites micromegas) has proven to be a very distinct species evolutionarily between piculets and woodpeckers (Benz et al., 2006) and thus is nowadays placed in a subfamily of its own.
The arrangement of species in the genera follows del Hoyo et al. (2002).
Genus Picumnus
Picumnus (bird)
Picumnus is a large genus of piculets. With a total length of 8–10 cm , they are among the smallest birds in the woodpecker family....
- Speckled PiculetSpeckled PiculetThe Speckled Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family.It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam...
, Picumnus innominatus (sometimes Vivia) - Bar-breasted PiculetBar-breasted PiculetThe Bar-breasted Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest....
, Picumnus aurifrons - Orinoco PiculetOrinoco PiculetThe Orinoco Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Picumnus pumilus - Lafresnaye's PiculetLafresnaye's PiculetThe Lafresnaye's Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Picumnus lafresnayi - Golden-spangled PiculetGolden-spangled PiculetThe Golden-spangled Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela....
, Picumnus exilis - Black-spotted PiculetBlack-spotted PiculetThe Black-dotted Piculet , also known as the Black-spotted Piculet, is a Venezuelan endemic species of bird in the Picidae, or woodpecker family...
, Picumnus nigropunctatus - Ecuadorian PiculetEcuadorian PiculetThe Ecuadorian Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.-References:...
, Picumnus sclateri - Scaled PiculetScaled PiculetThe Scaled Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and heavily degraded former forest.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . ...
, Picumnus squamulatus - White-bellied PiculetWhite-bellied PiculetThe White-bellied Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela....
, Picumnus spilogaster - Arrowhead Piculet, Picumnus minutissimus
- Spotted PiculetSpotted PiculetThe Spotted Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is endemic to Brazil.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 27 July 2007....
, Picumnus pygmaeus - Speckle-chested PiculetSpeckle-chested PiculetThe Speckle-chested Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is endemic to Peru.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
, Picumnus steindachneri - Varzea PiculetVarzea PiculetThe Varzea Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family, the woodpeckers, piculets, and wrynecks. It is endemic to Brazil's Amazon Basin....
, Picumnus varzeae - White-barred PiculetWhite-barred PiculetThe White-barred Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family, the woodpeckers, piculets, and wrynecks. It is found in south-eastern Brazil south and west to the Pantanal, and into south-eastern Bolivia, Paraguay and northern Argentina...
, Picumnus cirratus - Ocellated PiculetOcellated PiculetThe Ocellated Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family.It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montanes and heavily degraded former forest.-References:...
, Picumnus dorbygnianus - Ochre-collared PiculetOchre-collared PiculetThe Ochre-collared Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay....
, Picumnus temminckii - White-wedged PiculetWhite-wedged PiculetThe White-wedged Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay....
, Picumnus albosquamatus - Rusty-necked PiculetRusty-necked PiculetThe Rusty-necked Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is found in Bolivia and Brazil.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical swamps. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* BirdLife International 2004. . ...
, Picumnus fuscus - Rufous-breasted PiculetRufous-breasted PiculetThe Rufous-breasted Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru....
, Picumnus rufiventris - Tawny PiculetTawny PiculetThe Tawny Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is endemic to Brazil.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and dry savanna. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . ...
, Picumnus fulvescens - Ochraceous PiculetOchraceous PiculetThe Ochraceous Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is endemic to Brazil.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
, Picumnus limae - Mottled PiculetMottled PiculetThe Mottled Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is becoming rare due to habitat loss....
, Picumnus nebulosus - Plain-breasted PiculetPlain-breasted PiculetThe Plain-breasted Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru....
, Picumnus castelnau - Fine-barred PiculetFine-barred PiculetThe Fine-barred Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It was until recently considered endemic to Peru, but is now also known from adjacent Acre in Brazil....
, Picumnus subtilis - Olivaceous PiculetOlivaceous PiculetThe Olivaceous Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family. Etymologically, piculet is as a double diminutive of the Latin picus woodpecker, see also Picus...
, Picumnus olivaceus - Greyish PiculetGreyish PiculetThe Greyish Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is endemic to Colombia.-Taxonomy:The Greyish Piculet is part of a superspecies with the Olivaceous Piculet, and may even be conspecific, or the same species. There are two described subspecies: P. g. antioquensis in the northern...
, Picumnus granadensis - Chestnut PiculetChestnut PiculetThe Chestnut Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . ...
, Picumnus cinnamomeus
Genus Verreauxia (sometimes included in Sasia)
- African PiculetAfrican PiculetThe African Piculet , sometimes placed in the monotypic genus Verreauxia, is a species of bird in the Picidae family....
, Verreauxia africana
Genus Sasia
Sasia
Sasia is a genus of birds in the Picidae family.It contains the following species:* African Piculet * Rufous Piculet * White-browed Piculet...
- Rufous PiculetRufous PiculetThe Rufous Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family.It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand....
, Sasia abnormis - White-browed PiculetWhite-browed PiculetThe White-browed Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family.It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.This bird utilizes bamboo to make nests...
, Sasia ochracea
External links
- Piculet videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection