Piciformes

The 44 Orders

Paleognaths

Galloanserae

Metaves

Pelecanae

Charadriae

Passerae

PICIFORMES

Click for Piciformes tree
Click for Piciformes tree

The jacamars and puffbirds are more closely related to each other than to the rest of the Piciformes. They are sometimes placed in their own order, Galbuliformes. The higher-level taxonomy of the Piciformes is based on Ericson et al. (2006a), Johansson and Ericson (2003) and Moyle (2004). Details of the Galbulidae and Bucconidae are from Witt (2004), who included most of the species in his analysis.

Galbulidae: Jacamars

5 genera, 18 species HBW-7

Bucconidae: Puffbirds

12 genera, 35 species HBW-7

Megalaimidae: Asian Barbets

2 genera, 30 species HBW-7 (split)

Barbet and Toucan taxonomy has not been completely resolved (see Barker and Lanyon, 2000; Moyle, 2004). The five families here are one possibility. The toucan-barbets might belong to either the toucans or New World barbets. The position of both Caloramphus and Trachyphonus among the other barbets has also not been completely resolved.

Lybiidae: African Barbets, Tinkerbirds

9 genera, 42 species HBW-7 (split)

Semnornithidae: Prong-billed & Toucan Barbets

1 genus, 2 species HBW-7 (split)

Capitonidae: New World Barbets

2 genera, 14 species HBW-7 (split)

Ramphastidae: Toucans, Aracaris, Toucanets

5 genera, 42 species HBW-7

Ramphastidae Moyle (2004) laid out the overall structure of the toucans used here, as shown in the tree diagram (Barker and Lanyon, 2000, is a bit different). The Ramphastos toucan order is based on Patané et al. (2009). The Toco Toucan is basal, and the rest fall into two sister groups, the smooth-billed yelping toucans (ambiguus through tucanus) and the channel-billed croaking toucans (sulfuratus through dicolorus). Although previous studies by Weckstein (2004, 2005) suggested the species limits needed adjustment, the analysis by Patané et al. (2009), which used more genes and taxa, did not concur.

The aracari (Pteroglossus) sequence is based on Kimura et al. (2004) and Pereira and Wajntal (2008). The aracaris fall into several clades: (1) bailloni, viridis, and inscriptus (including humboldti) (2) torquatus and frantzii (including Stripe-billed Aracari, sanguineus and Pale-mandibled Aracari, erythropygius) (3) azara (aka “flavirostris”, including Brown-mandibled Aracari, mariae), bitorquatus and beauharnaesii and (4) aracari, castanotis, and pluricinctus. Note that Pteroglossus bailloni, which has sometimes been considered a separate genus (Baillonius) is firmly embedded in Pteroglossus.

Some authors have considered the Emerald Toucanet to include multiple species (e.g., Navarro et al., 2001). The recent paper by Puebla-Olivares et al. (2008) considerably strengthens the case, and I have split them accordingly. Except for the treatment of albivitta and griseigularis as separate species, Clements 6th edition also follows the split. SACC has not yet considered the issue.

The Middle American portion of the Emerald Toucanet complex is fairly clearcut. This includes A. cognatus through A. prasinus with maxillaris included in A. caeruleogularis and all of the other Middle American subspecis in A. prasinus. The only real question is whether to lump A. wagleri into A. prasinus.

The South American Emerald Toucanets are another matter. There are some key gaps in the taxa analyzed by Puebla-Olivares et al., and the situation concerning albivitta is rather confusing. The races lautus (believed to be a distinct species) and phaeolaemus (probably closest to griseigularis) were not analyzed. Moreover, the samples from NE Ecuador, believed to be albivitta, do not appear to be albivitta. This creates a hole at the boundary between albivitta and atrogularis. For the present, atrogularis includes cyanolaemus and dimidiatus as subspecies.

Conventional wisdom has been that griseigularis and phaeolaemus group with albivitta. But Puebla-Olivares et al. found griseigularis in a tight grouping with atrogularis and the Ecuadorian ‘albivitta’. What is one to think? It could be that there is an un-named white-throated subspecies in Ecuador and perhaps southern Colombia. It could equally be that there was a glitch somewhere in the collection or analysis of the Ecuadorian ‘albivitta’. In any event, it makes the situation unclear. I have left A. griseigularis as a separate species pending a resolution of the problem, although I expect it to be folded into either A. atrogularis or A. albivitta.

Indicatoridae: Honeyguides

4 genera, 17 species HBW-7

Picidae: Woodpeckers

33 genera, 224 species HBW-7

Picadae tree
Click for Picidae genera

The details of woodpecker taxonomy are still being worked out, with species being shuffled around between genera (e.g., in Picoides and Veniliornis). The papers by Benz et al. (2006), Fuchs et al. (2006c, 2007b, 2008a), Moore et al. (2006), Overton and Rhoads (2006), Webb and Moore (2005), and Weibel and Moore (2002a, 2002b) have all proven helpful.

This version is based on a closer look at the above and the the summary of the Dendropicini by Raty (2007). A certain amount of uncertainty remains, but I think this is a pretty good representation of woodpecker taxonomy. The diagram sums it up.

That the wrynecks were sister to the remaining woodpeckers has been known for a while, as has the fact that the piculets were sister to the rest. Benz et al. (2006) showed that the Antillean Piculet does not belong with the other piculets, but is the sister of the Picinae. Accordingly, it is placed in the monotypic subfamily Nesoctitinae.

For the inner structure of the Picinae, we follow Fuchs et al. (2007b, 2008a). They found that Hemicircus is sister to the rest of the Picinae. Campephilus could be placed basally in Dendropicini. I've kept it separate partly because there is some remaining ambiguity about it's relationship with the Chrysocolaptini.

Dendropicini tree Next are the Dendropicini. Melanerpes, Sphyrapicus, and Xiphidiopicus group together (see Overton and Rhoads, 2006 for details). That clade is sister to the remaining Dendropicini. The various papers have to be pieced together to make a complete picture of the rest of Dendropicini. This introduces some uncertainty about exactly how they fit together. Picoides is split into Picoides, Dryobates, and Leuconotopicus; and Dendrocopos is split into Dendrocopos, Yungipicus, and Leiopicus. Hypopicus and Sapheopipo are merged into Dendrocopos (see Winkler et al., 2005) while Dendrocopos minor moves to Dryobates, Veniliornis fumigatus moves to Leuconotopicus, and Picoides mixtus and P. lignarius move to Veniliornis. With these changes, Dendropicini looks like the diagram.

For now, Chrysocolaptini is treated separately from Picini due to its uncertain relation with Campephilini. Picini tree Picini seems to look something like this (Fuchs, 2008a):

Here Celeus brachyurus has been placed in the monotypic genus Micropternus, Chrysophlegma has been separated from Picus, and Piculus rubiginosus and P. rivolii move to Colaptes. Although I've left the American Dryocopus alone, they may have to be put in a separate genus (Ceophloeus, I think) as the old world Dryocopus may be more closely related to Mulleripicus.

A recent paper by García-Trejo et al. (2009) finds that the northern subspecies of the Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Melanerpes aurifrons, is more closely related to the Red-bellied Woodpecker, Melanerpes carolinus, than to other Golden-fronted races. Accordingly, they recommend splitting the other races as the tropical Melanerpes santacruzi, known as Velasquez's Woodpecker. It is possible that further splitting will be needed. The names Lesson's Woodpecker and Truxillo Woodpecker have been applied to some of the other tropical races. Based on their work, I have also rearranged the carolinus group, which starts at M. pucherani. The results of Overton and Rhoads (2006) suggest that the Puerto Rican, Hispaniolan, and presumably Jamaican Woodpeckers belong near carolinus. The entire Red-bellied complex needs further study to before it is completely sorted out.

Jynginae: Wrynecks

Picumninae: Piculets

Nesoctitinae: Antillean Piculet

Picinae: Woodpeckers

Hemicircini

Chrysocolaptini

Picini

Campephilini

Dendropicini

Previous Page Next Page