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Picus (biology)
Encyclopedia
Picus is a genus of bird
s in the woodpecker
family. It has representatives in Europe
, Asia
and North Africa
.
These are large woodpeckers, typically with green upperparts. They are found in forest
s or more open woodland
, and lay their white eggs
in a tree hole nest, typically on a bed of wood chips.
Picus woodpeckers are primarily insect
eaters, with several species specialising in taking ant
s or termite
s. Some species will also consume fruit
or eggs. Insects are captured by a rapid outward flick of the long tongue and gummed to its tip by sticky saliva.
This genus is less completely arboreal than some other woodpecker groups, and its members often feed on the ground, attacking anthills or termitaries.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s in the woodpecker
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....
family. It has representatives in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, 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...
and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
.
These are large woodpeckers, typically with green upperparts. They are found in forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s or more open woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
, and lay their white eggs
Bird egg
Bird eggs are laid by females and incubated for a time that varies according to the species; a single young hatches from each egg. Average clutch sizes range from one to about 17...
in a tree hole nest, typically on a bed of wood chips.
Picus woodpeckers are primarily 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...
eaters, with several species specialising in taking ant
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
s or termite
Termite
Termites are a group of eusocial insects that, until recently, were classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera , but are now accepted as the epifamily Termitoidae, of the cockroach order Blattodea...
s. Some species will also consume fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
or eggs. Insects are captured by a rapid outward flick of the long tongue and gummed to its tip by sticky saliva.
This genus is less completely arboreal than some other woodpecker groups, and its members often feed on the ground, attacking anthills or termitaries.
Species in taxonomic order
- Banded WoodpeckerBanded WoodpeckerThe Banded Woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand....
, Picus miniaceus - Lesser YellownapeLesser YellownapeThe Lesser Yellownape, Picus chlorolophus, is a type of woodpecker which is a widespread and often common breeder in tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to south China and Sumatra....
, Picus chlorolophus - Crimson-winged WoodpeckerCrimson-winged WoodpeckerThe Crimson-winged Woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....
, Picus puniceus - Greater YellownapeGreater YellownapeThe Greater Yellownape is a species of bird in the Picidae family.It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam...
, Picus flavinucha - Checker-throated WoodpeckerChecker-throated WoodpeckerThe Checker-throated Woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand....
, Picus mentalis - Streak-breasted WoodpeckerStreak-breasted WoodpeckerThe Streak-breasted Woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family.It is found in Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and perhaps Bangladesh. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.-References:* BirdLife International...
, Picus viridanus - Laced WoodpeckerLaced WoodpeckerThe Laced Woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family.It is found in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and perhaps Bangladesh....
, Picus vittatus - Streak-throated WoodpeckerStreak-throated WoodpeckerThe Streak-throated Woodpecker Picus xanthopygaeus is a species of woodpecker found in the Indian Subcontinent.-Description:A medium-sized, green woodpecker with streaked throat and scaly whitish underparts. Green above with yellowish rump, white supercilia and white and black moustache. Crown red...
, Picus xanthopygaeus - Scaly-bellied WoodpeckerScaly-bellied WoodpeckerThe Scaly-bellied Woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is found in Afghanistan, Iran, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan.-Habitat:...
, Picus squamatus - Japanese Green Woodpecker, Picus awokera
- European Green Woodpecker, Picus viridis
- Iberian WoodpeckerIberian WoodpeckerThe Iberian Woodpecker , is a medium-sized woodpecker endemic to Spain. It is also known as the Iberic Green Woodpecker. It is considered to be a subspecies of the European Green Woodpecker, although some taxonomists consider it to be distinct....
, Picus viridis sharpei
- Iberian Woodpecker
- Levaillant's WoodpeckerLevaillant's WoodpeckerThe Levaillant’s Woodpecker or Levaillant’s Green Woodpecker is a large member of the woodpecker family Piciformes. It occurs as a resident breeder in the three Maghreb countries Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia in northwest Africa....
, Picus vaillantii - Red-collared WoodpeckerRed-collared WoodpeckerThe Red-collared Woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is found in Cambodia, China, Laos, and Vietnam.Its natural habitat is temperate forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
, Picus rabieri - Black-headed WoodpeckerBlack-headed WoodpeckerThe Black-headed Woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is found in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam....
, Picus erythropygius - Grey-headed WoodpeckerGrey-headed WoodpeckerThe Grey-headed Woodpecker , also known as the Grey-faced Woodpecker, is a Eurasian member of the woodpecker family Piciformes....
, Picus canus