Dryocopus

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 an entirely different lineage of woodpeckers altogether (Benz et al., 2006)

Dryocopus
Pileated woodpecker
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Tribe: Picini
Genus: Dryocopus
F. Boie, 1826
Species

See text.

Synonyms

Hylatomus[1]

Their breeding habitat is forested areas with large trees, where they nest in a large cavity in a dead tree or a dead part of a tree. They may excavate a new hole each year, creating habitat for other large cavity nesting birds. They are non-migratory permanent residents.

They are mainly black in plumage with red on the crown of the head, often as a crest. Most species also have some white areas of plumage, especially on the head, and some have additional red facial markings.

The male, female and juvenile plumages of each species usually differ, often in the extent of red on the crown and elsewhere on the head. The flight is strong and direct, and the calls are typically loud wild laughs. The drumming of these large birds can be heard from a great distance.

Dryocopus woodpeckers chip out large holes with their strong bills while searching out insects, especially beetle larvae in trees. They will also take fruits, berries, and nuts.

Taxonomy

The genus Dryocopus was introduced by the German naturalist Friedrich Boie in 1826.[2] The name is from the Ancient Greek word for a woodpecker druokopos combining druos "tree" and kopos "beating".[3] The genus forms part of the woodpecker subfamily Picinae and has a sister relationship to the genus Mulleripicus whose species are found in South and Southeast Asia. The genus Dryocopus is a member of the tribe Picini and belongs to a clade that contains five genera: Colaptes, Piculus, Mulleripicus, Dryocopus and Celeus.[4]

The genus contains six species.[5]

ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
Dryocopus lineatusLineated woodpeckerMexico south to northern Argentina and Trinidad
Dryocopus pileatusPileated woodpeckereastern North America, the Great Lakes, the boreal forests of Canada, and parts of the Pacific Coast
Dryocopus schulziiBlack-bodied woodpeckerArgentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay
Dryocopus javensisWhite-bellied woodpeckerThe Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia
Dryocopus hodgeiAndaman woodpeckerThe Andaman Islands in India
Dryocopus martiusBlack woodpeckerSpan across the whole of Europe, excluding the United Kingdom, Ireland, and northern Scandinavia

References
  1. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/ioc-lists/master-list-2/
  2. Boie, Friedrich (1826). "Generalübersicht". Isis von Oken (in German). 19. Col 977.
  3. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 140. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  4. 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. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2017.09.005.
  5. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2018). "Woodpeckers". World Bird List Version 8.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 2 April 2018.

Sources
  • Benz, Brett W.; Robbins, Mark B.; Peterson, A. Townsend (2006). "Evolutionary history of woodpeckers and allies (Aves: Picidae): Placing key taxa on the phylogenetic tree". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 40: 389–399. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.02.021. PMID 16635580.
  • Gorman, Gerard (2004): Woodpeckers of Europe: A Study of the European Picidae. Bruce Coleman, UK. ISBN 1-872842-05-4.
  • Gorman, Gerard (2011): The Black Woodpecker: A monograph on Dryocopus martius. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN 978-84-96553-79-8.
  • Grimmett, Richard; Inskipp, Carol & Inskipp, Tim (1999): Birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.. ISBN 0-691-04910-6
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