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Dendropicos Fuscescens, Wyfie-trommel, Pretoria, A
''Dendropicos'' is a genus of woodpeckers in the family Picidae. They are small woodpeckers that are native to the sub-Saharan woodlands and forests. Taxonomy The genus ''Dendropicos'' was introduced by the French ornithologist, Alfred Malherbe in 1849. The type species was subsequently designated as one of the subspecies of the cardinal woodpecker. The word ''Dendropicos'' comes from the Greek ''dendron'' meaning tree and ''pikos'' for woodpecker. Molecular genetic studies have shown that the genus ''Dendropicos'' is sister to the genus '' Chloropicus''. The genus ''Dendropicos'' formerly contained several additional species. A 2015 molecular phylogenetic study that analysed nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences from pied woodpeckers found that ''Dendropicos'' was polyphyletic. In the rearranged genera the bearded, fire-bellied and yellow breasted woodpeckers were moved to '' Chloropicus'' while the Arabian woodpecker was moved to ''Dendrocoptes''. The taxonomic co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cardinal Woodpecker
The cardinal woodpecker (''Dendropicos fuscescens'') is a widespread and common resident breeder in much of sub-Saharan Africa. It occurs in a wide range of habitats, ranging from dense forest to thorn bush. It is fairly vocal and is easily identified by its call notes. The sexes are distinguishable by their head patterns. Taxonomy The cardinal woodpecker was formally described in 1818 by the French ornithologist Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot under the binomial name ''Picus fuscescens''. This woodpecker is now placed with 11 other sub-Saharan woodpeckers in the genus ''Dendropicos'' that was introduced by the French ornithologist, Alfred Malherbe in 1849. The word ''Dendropicos'' combines the Ancient Greek ''dendron'' meaning tree with ''pikos'' meaning woodpecker. The specific epithet ''fuscescens'' is Modern Latin for "blackish". A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2017 found that the cardinal woodpecker was sister to the speckle-breasted woodpecker (''Dendropicos poecilo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
