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Picoides villosus

(Hairy Woodpecker)

Overview:

Conservation Status

Population Analysis

  • For the 56,646 species in the Class Aves (Birds), we average 272.97 observations each in our database; for the Hairy Woodpecker, we have 520 observations. Compared to other species in this Class, this species is somewhat common.
  • A two-sample t-test can be used to determine whether the trend in observations of the Hairy Woodpecker is the same as the trend in observations of Aves. Is this species just as common, as a proportion of all observations, as it once was? The answer is no, changes in observation rate of this species significantly differ from changes in observation rate of its Class. (t=17.861, p<0.001)
  • How do observation rates of the Hairy Woodpecker differ from those of Aves? To answer this, we examined the percentage of observerations for Aves that were observations of the Hairy Woodpecker each year. We then correlated this percentage with observation year. If observations of the Hairy Woodpecker are becoming more common relative to other species of Aves, the correlation should be positive, but if it is becoming less common, the correlation should be negative. In fact, the correlation is negative (r=-.7), with a negative slope (m = -.002), suggesting that the Hairy Woodpecker may be in decline relative to other species of Aves. This correlation is statistically significant. (F = 22.7, p<.05)
  • The scatter chart to the right shows the percentage of all observations for Aves each year that were observations of the Hairy Woodpecker.

History:

  • 1988-Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2004)
  • 1994-Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2004)
  • 2000-Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2000)

Justification

This species has a large range, with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 13,000,000 km². It has a large global population estimated to be 9,400,000 individuals (Rich et al. 2003). Global population trends have not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e., declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Taxonomy

  • Domain: Eukaryota Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
    • Kingdom: Animalia Linnaeus, 1758 - Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
      • Subkingdom: Bilateria (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
        • Branch: Deuterostomia Grobben, 1908 - Deuterostomes
          • Infrakingdom: Chordonia (Haeckel, 1874) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
            • Phylum: Chordata Bateson, 1885 - Chordates
              • Subphylum: Vertebrata Cuvier, 1812 - Vertebrates
                • Infraphylum: Gnathostomata auct. - Jawed Vertebrates
                  • Superclass: Tetrapoda Goodrich, 1930 - Tetrapods
                    • Class: Aves Linnaeus, 1758 - Birds
                      • Subclass: Neornithes Gadow, 1893
                        • Infraclass: Neoaves
                          • Order: Piciformes Meyer & Wolf, 1810 - Woodpeckers
                            • Infraorder: Picides
                              • Series: Amniota
                                • Family: Picidae - Woodpeckers, Wrynecks
                                  • Genus: Picoides (Vieillot, 1809) - Pied Woodpeckers
                                    • Specific name: villosus (Linnaeus, 1766)
                                      • Scientific name: Picoides villosus (Linnaeus, 1766)

Notes:

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: June 24, 1996.

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 27-Dec-2005

Physical Description

Adult:

Face: white with black marks Eye Ring: red patch Malar: black mark Postocular Stripe: black Bill: black Length: long Neck: Nape: black Body: Underparts: white Tail: black except that 3 outer feathers on each side are white.

Size/Age/Growth:

About 8.5 to 10.5 inches long, with a wingspan of 15 to 17.5 inches. Adults weigh about 2.5 ounces.

Images:

Distribution

Range and Population

North America; Caribbean

Habitat

Deciduous forests.

Vegetation: tropical lowland evergreen forest, pine forests, tropical lowland evergreen forest, pine-oak forests, montaine evergreen forests • Minimum Elevation: 950 meters • Maximum Elevation: 3,450 meters • Foraging Strata: Canopy • Center of Abundance: Upper montaine: mountains, upper range, above 3,600 m. • Relative Abundance in Tropical America: Fairly common • Sensitivity to Disturbance: Medium.

Diet

Primarily:

Insects Lesser Quantities of: Fruit

Reproduction

Nests from April to June.

  • Breeding Habitat: Woodland
  • Nest Type: Cavity
  • Clutch Size: 3-6
  • Length of Incubation: 11-15 days
  • Days to Fledge: (24?-)28-30
  • Number of Broods: 1

Migration

Most do not migrate

Song/Voice


Picoides villosus
Recordist: Doug Von Gausig Date Recorded: February 22, 1999 Copyright Holder: NatureSongs.com Permissions for Use: Read this


Picoides villosus
Recordist: Doug Von Gausig Location of Recording: Big Sur State Park, California Copyright Holder: NatureSongs.com Permissions for Use: Read this


Drumming in a Gambel Oak in the spring.
Recordist: Doug Von Gausig Copyright Holder: NatureSongs.com Permissions for Use: Read this


Courting solo
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: May 02, 2005 Location of Recording: New Brunswick, New Jersey


Courting duet
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: May 02, 2005 Location of Recording: New Brunswick, New Jersey


Picoides villosus
Recordist: John R. Sauer Copyright Holder: John R. Sauer Permissions for Use: See here.

Similar Species

Downy Woodpecker, Three-Toed Woodpecker

Members of the genus Picoides:

There are approximately 183 species and subspecies in this genus. Here are just 100 of them: P. albolarvatur · P. albolarvatus (White Headed Woodpecker) · P. albolarvatus albolarvatus · P. albolarvatus gravirostris (White-Headed Woodpecker) · P. albolarvatus ssp · P. arcticus (Black-Backed Woodpecker) · P. arizonae (Arizona Woodpecker) · P. arizonae arizonae · P. arizonae fraterculus · P. arizonae fraterculus] · P. atratus · P. auriceps · P. borealis (Red-Cockaded Woodpecker) · P. borealis borealis · P. borealis hylonomus (Red-Cockaded Woodpecker) · P. canicapillus · P. canicapillus doerriesi · P. canicapillus kaleensis · P. canicapillus nagamichii · P. canicapillus scintilliceps · P. canicapillus semicoronatus · P. canicapillus swinhoei · P. cathpharius · P. cathpharius cathpharius · P. crissoleucos · P. darjellensis darjellensis · P. dorsalis (American Three-Toed Woodpecker) · P. dorsalis bacatus · P. dorsalis dorsalis · P. dorsalis fasciatus · P. himalayensis · P. himalayensis himalayensis · P. hyperythrus hyperythrus · P. hyperythrus marshalli · P. kizuki · P. kizuki kizuki · P. kizuki seebohmi · P. leucotos · P. leucotos lilfordi · P. leucotos namiyei · P. leucotos sinicus · P. leucotos subcirris · P. leucotos subcirrus · P. leucotos ussuriensis · P. lignarius (Striped Woodpecker) · P. macei · P. macei analis · P. macei andamanensis · P. macei macei · P. maculatus · P. maculatus fulvifasciatus · P. maculatus maculatus · P. maculatus validirostris · P. mahrattensis · P. major · P. major brevirostris · P. major canariensis · P. major hondoensis · P. major italiae · P. major japonica · P. major major · P. major mandarinus · P. major mauritanus · P. major numidus · P. major pinetorum · P. medius · P. medius lilianae · P. minor · P. minor amurensis · P. minor comminutus · P. minor hortorum · P. minor minor · P. mixtus (Checkered Woodpecker) · P. mixtus berlepschi · P. mixtus cancellatus · P. mixtus malleator · P. mixtus mixtus · P. mixtus ssp · P. moluccensis · P. moluccensis gymnopthalmus · P. moluccensis moluccensis · P. moluccensis nanus · P. nutallii · P. nuttalli · P. nuttallii (Nuttall's Woodpecker) · P. nuttallii hesperophilus · P. obsoletus heuglini · P. obsoletus ingens · P. obsoletus obsoletus · P. pubescens (Downy Woodpecker) · P. pubescens fumidus · P. pubescens gairdneri · P. pubescens gairdnerii · P. pubescens glacialis · P. pubescens homorus · P. pubescens leucurus · P. pubescens medianus · P. pubescens microleucus · P. pubescens nataliae · P. pubescens nelsoni

Bibliography

  • Alsop, Fred J. III. Birds of North America - Eastern Region. First American Edition. Smithsonian Handbooks. DK Publishing, Inc. 2001.
  • Banks, R. C., R. W. McDiarmid, A. L. Gardner, and W. C. Starnes 2003. Checklist of Vertebrates of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and Canada.
  • BirdLife International. 2000. Threatened Birds of the World. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, U.K.
  • Ehrlich, P., Dobkin, D., and Wheye, D. (1988). The Birders Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds. New York: Simon and Schuster Inc. (info on clutch size, length of incubation, days to fledge and number of broods.)
  • Robbins, C.S., Bruun, B., Zim, H.S., (1966). Birds of North America. New York: Western Publishing Company, Inc. (Length and wingspan info.)

More Info

Notes

Contributors:

  • BirdLife International 2004. Picoides villosus. In: IUCN 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org . Downloaded on 21 October 2006.
  • Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
  • Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed October 3, 2006.
  • Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed April 13, 2006. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from provider.
  • Hines, J. E., Gregory Gough, J. R. Sauer, et al. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
  • Parker III, T.A., D.F. Stotz, and J.W. Fitzpatrick, and quot;Ecological and Distributional Databases for Neotropical Birds, and quot; in Neotropical Birds: Ecology and Conservation, by D.F. Stotz, T.A. Parker III, J.W. Fitzpatrick, and D.K. Moskovits (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996). ISBN 0-226-64676-9.
  • Sauer, J. R., J. E. Hines, and J. Fallon. 2005. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966 - 2004. Version 2005.2. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
  • Sauer, J. R., S. Schwartz, and B. Hoover. 1996. The Christmas Bird Count Home Page. Version 95.1. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD

Identifiers:

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Last Revised: March 07, 2008