Woodpeckers of the World: Literature: The Travails of Two Woodpeckers: Ivory-bills & Imperials

Wednesday 8 June 2011

Literature: The Travails of Two Woodpeckers: Ivory-bills & Imperials

This book examines the history of the declines of two of the world's largest woodpeckers: Campephilus imperialis and C. principalis. The causes of decline and the question of whether these birds are extinct or not is discussed in detail. The authors (Noel F. R. Snyder, David E. Brown and Kevin B. Clark) take the view that these species are sadly extinct. Published in 2009 by the University of New Mexico Press, USA.

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Background

Woodpeckers, the Picidae, are Piciformes, an order that includes some of the oldest avian lineages. The Piciformes probably originated about 60 million years ago in the Tertiary period and became distinct from their closest relatives some 50 million years ago. Depending upon which taxonomy is followed, and the fact that the status of some species is unclear, around 240-260 woodpecker species probably exist globally. The Picidae includes three subfamilies: Jynginae (wrynecks), Picumninae (piculets) and the Picinae, the “true woodpeckers”. In terms of size, behaviour, distribution and the habitats they use, the Picinae are a fairly diverse group of birds with six distinct tribes. They are widespread and found from sea-level to high-altitudes but absent from the Arctic, Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Madagascar and some other islands. Worldwide woodpeckers are usually, but not exclusively, associated with trees.