Antillean Piculet
Encyclopedia
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 piculet
s and is afforded its own subfamily Nesoctitinae. It is endemic to the Caribbean
island of Hispaniola
. A fossil feather in amber
attributed to the genus has been found in the Dominican Republic
, showing that the ancestors of the species have been isolated on Hispaniola for at least 25 mya.
The Antillean Piculet occupies a number of different habitat
s within Hispaniola
, including humid and dry Pinus and broadleaf forests, as well as semi-arid scrubland and thorn-forest. It will also occupy stands of mangrove
forest and occasionally orchards and plantations. It occurs from sea-level to 1800 m, although in pine forests
it is more common below 300 m. Within this habitat it prefers dense undergrowth.
The species is a small woodpecker, although it is twice as large as any of the other piculets, measuring around 14–16 cm and weighing around 30 g. The male has a yellow crown with a red spot in the centre. The plumage
of the back, neck and wings is olive green, and the breast, throat and belly is off-white with streaks and spots. The female is similar to the male, except larger and lacking the red spot on the forecrown. The plumage of juvenile birds is similar to the adults but duller. Unlike the true woodpeckers (Picinae), they do not drum on trees to advertise their ownership of a territory
, instead calling in a loud and rapid whistle. This call, rendered as "kuk-kikikikekukuk", is also used as a contact call between pairs.
The Antillean Piculet feeds on insects, with ant
s and beetle
s forming a large part of the diet. They also consume a lot of fruit compared to other piculets. Individuals and pairs forage rapidly through the understory of their habitat, mostly on small branches, twigs, vines and stalks, and less commonly on trunks. Food is mostly obtained by gleaning
, with a few weak pecks (but no hammering as found in the true woodpeckers). The breeding season of the Antillean Piculet is March to July. A cavity is excavated in a stump, tree, palm or fence post in which 2 to four eggs are laid. The pair are highly territorial and will aggressively call and display towards intruders.
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...
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 Picidae. It is monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
within the genus Nesoctites. The species is evolutionarily distinct from the other piculet
Piculet
The piculets are a distinctive subfamily of small woodpeckers which occur mainly in tropical South America, with just three Asian and one African species....
s and is afforded its own subfamily Nesoctitinae. It is endemic to the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
island of Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
. A fossil feather in amber
Amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin , which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents...
attributed to the genus has been found in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, showing that the ancestors of the species have been isolated on Hispaniola for at least 25 mya.
The Antillean Piculet occupies a number of different habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
s within Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
, including humid and dry Pinus and broadleaf forests, as well as semi-arid scrubland and thorn-forest. It will also occupy stands of mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
forest and occasionally orchards and plantations. It occurs from sea-level to 1800 m, although in pine forests
Hispaniolan pine forests
The Hispaniolan pine forests are a tropical coniferous forest ecoregion found on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The ecoregion covers , or about 15% of the island...
it is more common below 300 m. Within this habitat it prefers dense undergrowth.
The species is a small woodpecker, although it is twice as large as any of the other piculets, measuring around 14–16 cm and weighing around 30 g. The male has a yellow crown with a red spot in the centre. The plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
of the back, neck and wings is olive green, and the breast, throat and belly is off-white with streaks and spots. The female is similar to the male, except larger and lacking the red spot on the forecrown. The plumage of juvenile birds is similar to the adults but duller. Unlike the true woodpeckers (Picinae), they do not drum on trees to advertise their ownership of a territory
Territory (animal)
In ethology the term territory refers to any sociographical area that an animal of a particular species consistently defends against conspecifics...
, instead calling in a loud and rapid whistle. This call, rendered as "kuk-kikikikekukuk", is also used as a contact call between pairs.
The Antillean Piculet feeds on insects, with 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 and beetle
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
s forming a large part of the diet. They also consume a lot of fruit compared to other piculets. Individuals and pairs forage rapidly through the understory of their habitat, mostly on small branches, twigs, vines and stalks, and less commonly on trunks. Food is mostly obtained by gleaning
Gleaning (birds)
Gleaning is a term for a feeding strategy by birds in which they catch invertebrate prey, mainly arthropods, by plucking them from foliage or the ground, from crevices such as rock faces and under the eaves of houses, or even, as in the case of ticks and lice, from living animals. This behavior is...
, with a few weak pecks (but no hammering as found in the true woodpeckers). The breeding season of the Antillean Piculet is March to July. A cavity is excavated in a stump, tree, palm or fence post in which 2 to four eggs are laid. The pair are highly territorial and will aggressively call and display towards intruders.