Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) by Reinier Munguia
If a bird’s nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young: (Deuteronomy 22:6 KJV)
CLASS – AVES, Order – PICIFORMES, Family – Picidae – Woodpeckers
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Latest I.O.C. Version
Species (236)
Eurasian Wryneck (Jynx torquilla)
Red-throated Wryneck (Jynx ruficollis)
Speckled Piculet (Picumnus innominatus)
Bar-breasted Piculet (Picumnus aurifrons)
Lafresnaye’s Piculet (Picumnus lafresnayi)
Orinoco Piculet (Picumnus pumilus)
Golden-spangled Piculet (Picumnus exilis)
Black-dotted Piculet (Picumnus nigropunctatus)
Ecuadorian Piculet (Picumnus sclateri)
Scaled Piculet (Picumnus squamulatus)
White-bellied Piculet (Picumnus spilogaster)
Arrowhead Piculet (Picumnus minutissimus)
Spotted Piculet (Picumnus pygmaeus)
Speckle-chested Piculet (Picumnus steindachneri)
Varzea Piculet (Picumnus varzeae)
White-barred Piculet (Picumnus cirratus)
Ocellated Piculet (Picumnus dorbignyanus)
Ochre-collared Piculet (Picumnus temminckii)
White-wedged Piculet (Picumnus albosquamatus)
Rusty-necked Piculet (Picumnus fuscus)
Rufous-breasted Piculet (Picumnus rufiventris)
Ochraceous Piculet (Picumnus limae)
Tawny Piculet (Picumnus fulvescens)
Mottled Piculet (Picumnus nebulosus)
Plain-breasted Piculet (Picumnus castelnau)
Fine-barred Piculet (Picumnus subtilis)
Olivaceous Piculet (Picumnus olivaceus)
Greyish Piculet (Picumnus granadensis)
Chestnut Piculet (Picumnus cinnamomeus)
African Piculet (Sasia africana)
Rufous Piculet (Sasia abnormis)
White-browed Piculet (Sasia ochracea)
Antillean Piculet (Nesoctites micromegas)
Grey-and-buff Woodpecker (Hemicircus concretus)
Heart-spotted Woodpecker (Hemicircus canente)
White Woodpecker (Melanerpes candidus)
Lewis’s Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis)
Guadeloupe Woodpecker (Melanerpes herminieri)
Puerto Rican Woodpecker (Melanerpes portoricensis)
Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)
Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)
Yellow-tufted Woodpecker (Melanerpes cruentatus)
Yellow-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes flavifrons)
Golden-naped Woodpecker (Melanerpes chrysauchen)
Beautiful Woodpecker (Melanerpes pulcher)
Black-cheeked Woodpecker (Melanerpes pucherani)
White-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes cactorum)
Hispaniolan Woodpecker (Melanerpes striatus)
Jamaican Woodpecker (Melanerpes radiolatus)
Golden-cheeked Woodpecker (Melanerpes chrysogenys)
Grey-breasted Woodpecker (Melanerpes hypopolius)
Yucatan Woodpecker (Melanerpes pygmaeus)
Red-crowned Woodpecker (Melanerpes rubricapillus)
Gila Woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis)
Hoffmann’s Woodpecker (Melanerpes hoffmannii)
Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons)
Velasquez’s Woodpecker (Melanerpes santacruzi)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)
West Indian Woodpecker (Melanerpes superciliaris)
Williamson’s Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus thyroideus)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)
Red-naped Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis)
Red-breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber)
Cuban Green Woodpecker (Xiphidiopicus percussus)
Fine-spotted Woodpecker (Campethera punctuligera)
Bennett’s Woodpecker (Campethera bennettii)
Speckle-throated Woodpecker (Campethera scriptoricauda)
Nubian Woodpecker (Campethera nubica)
Golden-tailed Woodpecker (Campethera abingoni)
Mombasa Woodpecker (Campethera mombassica)
Knysna Woodpecker (Campethera notata)
Green-backed Woodpecker (Campethera cailliautii)
Little Green Woodpecker (Campethera maculosa)
Tullberg’s Woodpecker (Campethera tullbergi)
Buff-spotted Woodpecker (Campethera nivosa)
Brown-eared Woodpecker (Campethera caroli)
Ground Woodpecker (Geocolaptes olivaceus)
Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker (Yungipicus temminckii)
Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker (Yungipicus nanus)
Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker (Yungipicus canicapillus)
Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker (Yungipicus maculatus)
Sulu Pygmy Woodpecker (Yungipicus ramsayi)
Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker (Yungipicus moluccensis)
Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker (Yungipicus kizuki)
Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus)
American Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides dorsalis)
Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus)
Arabian Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes dorae)
Brown-fronted Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes auriceps)
Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes medius)
Yellow-crowned Woodpecker (Leiopicus mahrattensis)
Bearded Woodpecker (Chloropicus namaquus)
Yellow-crested Woodpecker (Chloropicus xantholophus)
Fire-bellied Woodpecker (Chloropicus pyrrhogaster)
Little Grey Woodpecker (Dendropicos elachus)
Speckle-breasted Woodpecker (Dendropicos poecilolaemus)
Abyssinian Woodpecker (Dendropicos abyssinicus)
Cardinal Woodpecker (Dendropicos fuscescens)
Gabon Woodpecker (Dendropicos gabonensis)
Melancholy Woodpecker (Dendropicos lugubris)
Stierling’s Woodpecker (Dendropicos stierlingi)
Elliot’s Woodpecker (Dendropicos elliotii)
African Grey Woodpecker (Dendropicos goertae)
Eastern Grey Woodpecker (Dendropicos spodocephalus)
Olive Woodpecker (Dendropicos griseocephalus)
Brown-backed Woodpecker (Dendropicos obsoletus)
Nuttall’s Woodpecker (Dryobates nuttallii)
Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Dryobates scalaris)
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)
Crimson-breasted Woodpecker (Dryobates cathpharius)
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dryobates minor)
Little Woodpecker (Veniliornis passerinus)
Dot-fronted Woodpecker (Veniliornis frontalis)
White-spotted Woodpecker (Veniliornis spilogaster)
Checkered Woodpecker (Veniliornis mixtus)
Striped Woodpecker (Veniliornis lignarius)
Scarlet-backed Woodpecker (Veniliornis callonotus)
Yellow-vented Woodpecker (Veniliornis dignus)
Bar-bellied Woodpecker (Veniliornis nigriceps)
Blood-colored Woodpecker (Veniliornis sanguineus)
Red-rumped Woodpecker (Veniliornis kirkii)
Red-stained Woodpecker (Veniliornis affinis)
Choco Woodpecker (Veniliornis chocoensis)
Golden-collared Woodpecker (Veniliornis cassini)
Yellow-eared Woodpecker (Veniliornis maculifrons)
Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus borealis)
Smoky-brown Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus fumigatus)
Arizona Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus arizonae)
Strickland’s Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus stricklandi)
Hairy Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus)
White-headed Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus albolarvatus)
Rufous-bellied Woodpecker (Dendrocopos hyperythrus)
Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos macei)
Freckle-breasted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos analis)
Stripe-breasted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos atratus)
Darjeeling Woodpecker (Dendrocopos darjellensis)
Himalayan Woodpecker (Dendrocopos himalayensis)
Sind Woodpecker (Dendrocopos assimilis)
Syrian Woodpecker (Dendrocopos syriacus)
White-winged Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucopterus)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
Okinawa Woodpecker (Dendrocopos noguchii)
White-backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos)
Rufous-winged Woodpecker (Piculus simplex)
Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker (Piculus callopterus)
White-throated Woodpecker (Piculus leucolaemus)
Lita Woodpecker (Piculus litae)
Yellow-throated Woodpecker (Piculus flavigula)
Golden-green Woodpecker (Piculus chrysochloros)
Yellow-browed Woodpecker (Piculus aurulentus)
Golden-olive Woodpecker (Colaptes rubiginosus)
Grey-crowned Woodpecker (Colaptes auricularis)
Bronze-winged Woodpecker (Colaptes aeruginosus)
Crimson-mantled Woodpecker (Colaptes rivolii)
Black-necked Woodpecker (Colaptes atricollis)
Spot-breasted Woodpecker (Colaptes punctigula)
Green-barred Woodpecker (Colaptes melanochloros)
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
Gilded Flicker (Colaptes chrysoides)
Bermuda Flicker (Colaptes oceanicus)
Fernandina’s Flicker (Colaptes fernandinae)
Chilean Flicker (Colaptes pitius)
Andean Flicker (Colaptes rupicola)
Campo Flicker (Colaptes campestris)
Cinnamon Woodpecker (Celeus loricatus)
Waved Woodpecker (Celeus undatus)
Scaly-breasted Woodpecker (Celeus grammicus)
Chestnut-colored Woodpecker (Celeus castaneus)
Chestnut Woodpecker (Celeus elegans)
Pale-crested Woodpecker (Celeus lugubris)
Blond-crested Woodpecker (Celeus flavescens)
Ochre-backed Woodpecker (Celeus ochraceus)
Cream-colored Woodpecker (Celeus flavus)
Rufous-headed Woodpecker (Celeus spectabilis)
Kaempfer’s Woodpecker (Celeus obrieni)
Ringed Woodpecker (Celeus torquatus)
Helmeted Woodpecker (Celeus galeatus)
Black-bodied Woodpecker (Dryocopus schulzii)
Lineated Woodpecker (Dryocopus lineatus)
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)
White-bellied Woodpecker (Dryocopus javensis)
Andaman Woodpecker (Dryocopus hodgei)
Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius)
Powerful Woodpecker (Campephilus pollens)
Crimson-bellied Woodpecker (Campephilus haematogaster)
Red-necked Woodpecker (Campephilus rubricollis)
Robust Woodpecker (Campephilus robustus)
Crimson-crested Woodpecker (Campephilus melanoleucos)
Pale-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus guatemalensis)
Guayaquil Woodpecker (Campephilus gayaquilensis)
Cream-backed Woodpecker (Campephilus leucopogon)
Magellanic Woodpecker (Campephilus magellanicus)
Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis)
Imperial Woodpecker (Campephilus imperialis)
Banded Woodpecker (Chrysophlegma miniaceum)
Checker-throated Woodpecker (Chrysophlegma mentale)
Greater Yellownape (Chrysophlegma flavinucha)
Lesser Yellownape (Picus chlorolophus)
Crimson-winged Woodpecker (Picus puniceus)
Streak-breasted Woodpecker (Picus viridanus)
Laced Woodpecker (Picus vittatus)
Streak-throated Woodpecker (Picus xanthopygaeus)
Scaly-bellied Woodpecker (Picus squamatus)
Japanese Green Woodpecker (Picus awokera)
European Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis)
Iberian Green Woodpecker (Picus sharpei)
Levaillant’s Woodpecker (Picus vaillantii)
Red-collared Woodpecker (Picus rabieri)
Black-headed Woodpecker (Picus erythropygius)
Grey-headed Woodpecker (Picus canus)
Olive-backed Woodpecker (Dinopium rafflesii)
Himalayan Flameback (Dinopium shorii)
Common Flameback (Dinopium javanense)
Spot-throated Flameback (Dinopium everetti)
Black-rumped Flameback (Dinopium benghalense)
Red-backed Flameback (Dinopium psarodes)
Buff-spotted Flameback (Chrysocolaptes lucidus)
Luzon Flameback (Chrysocolaptes haematribon)
Yellow-faced Flameback (Chrysocolaptes xanthocephalus)
Red-headed Flameback (Chrysocolaptes erythrocephalus)
Javan Flameback (Chrysocolaptes strictus)
Greater Flameback (Chrysocolaptes guttacristatus)
Crimson-backed Flameback (Chrysocolaptes stricklandi)
White-naped Woodpecker (Chrysocolaptes festivus)
Pale-headed Woodpecker (Gecinulus grantia)
Bamboo Woodpecker (Gecinulus viridis)
Maroon Woodpecker (Blythipicus rubiginosus)
Bay Woodpecker (Blythipicus pyrrhotis)
Orange-backed Woodpecker (Reinwardtipicus validus)
Rufous Woodpecker (Micropternus brachyurus)
Buff-rumped Woodpecker (Meiglyptes tristis)
Black-and-buff Woodpecker (Meiglyptes jugularis)
Buff-necked Woodpecker (Meiglyptes tukki)
Ashy Woodpecker (Mulleripicus fulvus)
Sooty Woodpecker (Mulleripicus funebris)
Great Slaty Woodpecker (Mulleripicus pulverulentus)
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On the photos or slides, a “by” indicates one of the photographers or videographers, who have given their permission, with links on our sidebar. Please visit their site to see many more fantastic shots, a “©©” copyright symbol indicates a photo from Creative Commons and ©WikiC is a Creative Commons photo from Wikipedia.
Photographers or Videographers used on this page from our sidebar, Photography, are:
Africaddict
BirdPhotos.com
Clement Francis Bird Photography
Dan’s Pix (Dan)
Dario Sanches
Dave’s BirdingPix
Ian Montgomery’s Birdway
Nikhil Devasar’s Gallery
Ray’s Wildlife Photography
Reinier’s Wildstock Photos Gallery
Back to Family Page – CLICK HERE
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Articles Mentioning Birds From This Family:
- When I Consider! – Woodpecker
- When I Consider! – Woodpecker and Bones
- Woodpecker Video
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – Chief Corner Stone’s Keystone by A J Mithra
- Buddy Davis – Woodpecker Song
- Red-headed Woodpecker – Video (Peterson’s Bird Series)
- God’s Amazing Pileated Woodpecker
- Pale-bellied Woodpecker
- When I Consider! – Woodpecker
- The Woodpeckers by Fannie Hardy Eckstorm
- Woodpeckers – The Core Species.. – A J
- Ian’s Bird of the Week – Black Woodpecker
- Ian’s Bird of the Week – Crimson-crested Woodpecker
- Birds Vol 1 #3 – The Flicker
- Birds Vol 1 #4 – The California Woodpecker
- Birds Vol 1 #2 – The Red-headed Woodpecker
- Birds of the World – Pale-billed Woodpecker
- Incredible Woodpeckers
- Zoo Miami’s Greater Yellownape
- Birds of the Bible – Woodpecker & Friend’s Storehouse
- A Red-headed Cousin (Red-headed Woodpecker)
- Sunday Inspiration – Woodpeckers
- Downy Woodpecker Building a Nest
- Woodpecker With A Weasel On It’s Back
- Cactus, Birds and Boots
Other Websites that have photos of this Family:
- Picidae Woodpeckers & Allies – Ian’s Birdway
- Picidae – Wrynecks, piculets, woodpeckers & flamebacks – OBI
- Woodpeckers (Picidae) – IBC
- Woodpecker – Wikipedia
- Family : Picidae – Le quide ornitho
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The woodpeckers, piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers are a family, Picidae, of near-passerine birds. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions. Most species live in forests or woodland habitats, although a few species are known to live in treeless areas, such as rocky hillsides and deserts.
The Picidae are just one of the eight living families in the order Piciformes. Members of the order Piciformes, such as the jacamars, puffbirds, barbets, toucans, and honeyguides, have traditionally been thought to be very closely related to the woodpeckers, piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. More recently, DNA sequence analyses have confirmed this view.
There are about 200 species and about 30 genera in this family. Many species are threatened or endangered due to loss of habitat or habitat fragmentation. Two species of woodpeckers, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker and the Imperial Woodpecker, have been considered extinct for about 30 years (there has been some controversy recently whether these species still exist)
The smallest woodpecker is the Bar-breasted Piculet and the largest woodpecker was the Imperial Woodpecker. The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is (or was) slightly smaller. If both the Ivory-billed and Imperial Woodpeckers are indeed extinct, the largest extant woodpecker is the Great Slaty Woodpecker of Southeast Asia.
Members of the family Picidae have strong bills for drilling and drumming on trees and long sticky tongues for extracting food. Woodpecker bills are typically longer, sharper and stronger than the bills of piculets and wrynecks; however their morphology is very similar. The bill’s chisel-like tip is kept sharp by the pecking action in birds that regularly use it on wood. Species of woodpecker and flicker that use their bills in soil or for probing as opposed to regular hammering tend to have longer and more decurved bills. Due to their smaller bill size, many piculets and wrynecks will forage in decaying wood more often than woodpeckers. The long sticky tongues, which possess bristles, aid these birds in grabbing and extracting insects deep within a hole of a tree. (Wikipedia, with editing)
Some of the Family – Photos are Alphabetical down the columns:
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