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Picumnus (bird)
Encyclopedia
Picumnus is a large genus
of piculet
s. With a total length of 8–10 cm (3–4 in), they are among the smallest birds in the woodpecker
family.
Species limits in this genus are doubtful, and the rate of interbreeding is "inordinately high" (Remsen et al. 2007). As defined by Winkler and Christie (2002), it contains the 27 species listed below, all from the Neotropics except the Speckled Piculet, which is Asian (and sometimes placed in a monotypic
genus, Vivia).
Their upperparts are brownish, greyish or olive, in some species with darker barring or white or yellowish spotting on the mantle. The underparts vary greatly among the species, ranging from all rich brown in the Chestnut Piculet, to whitish in the Plain-breasted Piculet, white with dark bars in the White-barred Piculet, and pale yellowish with dark bars on the chest and dark spots and streaks on the belly in the Bar-breasted Piculet. They have black crowns with red, orange, or yellow marks in the male and white dots in the female, except that the male Speckled Piculet has brown crown marks and the female lacks white dots. Most have rather short black tails with white stripes down the edges and the center (Blume and Winkler 2003). In two species, the Rufous-breasted and the Chestnut Piculets, the white is largely replaced by rufous.
While the individual species often are habitat specialists (as evident by a number of highly restricted species such as the Rusty-necked and Ochraceous Piculets), members of this genus range from dry Caatinga
woodland to humid Amazonian
and Atlantic forest. They are generally found in pairs or small groups. The Neotropical species fall into two broad song groups, with the first having a song consisting of a long trill, and the second a song consisting of series of two or more descending notes.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of 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. With a total length of 8–10 cm (3–4 in), they are among the smallest birds 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.
Species limits in this genus are doubtful, and the rate of interbreeding is "inordinately high" (Remsen et al. 2007). As defined by Winkler and Christie (2002), it contains the 27 species listed below, all from the Neotropics except the Speckled Piculet, which is Asian (and sometimes placed in a 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...
genus, Vivia).
Their upperparts are brownish, greyish or olive, in some species with darker barring or white or yellowish spotting on the mantle. The underparts vary greatly among the species, ranging from all rich brown in the Chestnut Piculet, to whitish in the Plain-breasted Piculet, white with dark bars in the White-barred Piculet, and pale yellowish with dark bars on the chest and dark spots and streaks on the belly in the Bar-breasted Piculet. They have black crowns with red, orange, or yellow marks in the male and white dots in the female, except that the male Speckled Piculet has brown crown marks and the female lacks white dots. Most have rather short black tails with white stripes down the edges and the center (Blume and Winkler 2003). In two species, the Rufous-breasted and the Chestnut Piculets, the white is largely replaced by rufous.
While the individual species often are habitat specialists (as evident by a number of highly restricted species such as the Rusty-necked and Ochraceous Piculets), members of this genus range from dry Caatinga
Caatinga
Caatinga is a type of vegetation, and an ecoregion characterized by this vegetation in the northeastern part of Brazil. The name "Caatinga" is a Tupi word meaning "white forest" or "white vegetation"...
woodland to humid Amazonian
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
and Atlantic forest. They are generally found in pairs or small groups. The Neotropical species fall into two broad song groups, with the first having a song consisting of a long trill, and the second a song consisting of series of two or more descending notes.
Species
- 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 (or Vivia innominata) - 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 - Picumnus sp. nov.? "Serra Geral do Tocantins"