TWO EXAMPLES OF WOOD-PECKER BIRDS

Wood-pecker birds have a known geologic time range from the late Oligocene (about 25 million years ago) to the present, but it is possible that they originated as early as the early Eocene (about 50 million years ago). They are closely related to puffbirds and toucans. The earliest wood-pecker birds lived in the tropics of Eurasia and were most small birds that likely age insects that lived in trees.

Family Picidae (the wood-pecker birds) consists of 36 genera. Birds in this family have reinforced skulls with spongy bones (i.e., shock-absording mechanisms) that allow them to withstand constant pecking on tree bark, but not be injured). These birds also have specialized feet (zygodactyl feet) that enable to hold onto a tree without putting excessive pressure on their ankles.

  Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Aves

Order Piciformes

Family Picidae

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note: no wood peckers live in Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand nor in Madagascar.

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GENUS EXAMPLE 1:

“The Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker”

Genus Sphyrapicus

Type Species: S. varius

This species lives in Canada and the northeastern USA but migrates to South America (Panama area). This species has black, white, and red plumage with a red cap and a distinctive white strip located along the length of its folded wings on both sexes. It drills neat rows into trees in order to drink sap and eat insects.

                       

                     Figure 1. The “Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker.” 

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GENUS EXAMPLE 2:

“The Acorn Woodpecker”

Genus Melanerpes

Type Species: M. formicivorus 

It lives primarily in Central America and in the western USA. The female is blue colored, whereas the male is black.

Figure 2. “The Acorn Woodpecker” Melanerpes formicicvorus

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Figure 3. Woodpecker drill holes in a California Oak tree.

 When I was checking out the oak trees at the Placerita Nature Center near Santa Clarita, southern California (see several of my previous blog posts on animals that concern this nature center), I came across some trees that have numerous, closely-spaced holes drilled into their trunks. These holes have been filled with acorns from the nearby live oaks. It is likely that these holes were drilled and then filled by “acorn woodpecker” birds.