| Picus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A femaleEuropean green woodpecker (Picus viridis) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Piciformes |
| Family: | Picidae |
| Tribe: | Picini |
| Genus: | Picus Linnaeus,1758 |
| Type species | |
| Picus viridis Linnaeus, 1758 | |
| Species | |
see list | |
| Synonyms | |
Gecinus[1] | |
Picus is a genus ofbirds in thewoodpecker family. It has representatives inEurope,Asia andNorth Africa. The genus name isLatin for "woodpecker". The genusPicus was erected by the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeus in 1758 in thetenth edition of hisSystema Naturae.
These are large woodpeckers, typically with green upperparts. They are found inforests or more openwoodland, and lay their whiteeggs in a tree hole nest, typically on a bed of wood chips.Picus woodpeckers are primarilyinsect eaters, with several species specialising in takingants ortermites. Some species will also consumefruit or eggs. Insects are captured by a rapid outward flick of the long tongue and gummed to its tip by sticky saliva. This genus is less completelyarboreal than some other woodpecker groups, and its members often feed on the ground, attackinganthills or termitaries.
The genusPicus was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeus in thetenth edition of hisSystema Naturae.[2] The genus name is the Latin word for a woodpecker.Picus was a figure inRoman mythology, the first king ofLatium who was changed into a woodpecker by the sorceressCirce.[3] Of the 13 species in the genus listed by Linnaeus, the English naturalistWilliam Swainson designated theEuropean green woodpecker (Picus viridis) as thetype species.[4]
The genus contains 14 species:[5]
| Image | Common Name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | Lesser yellownape | Picus chlorolophus | India, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka eastwards to Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. |
 | Crimson-winged woodpecker | Picus puniceus | Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand. |
 | Streak-breasted woodpecker | Picus viridanus | southeastern Bangladesh to central Malay Peninsula. |
 | Laced woodpecker | Picus vittatus | Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. |
.jpg) | Streak-throated woodpecker | Picus xanthopygaeus | Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia |
 | Scaly-bellied woodpecker | Picus squamatus | Afghanistan, Iran, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan. |
 | Japanese green woodpecker | Picus awokera | Japan. |
.jpg) | European green woodpecker | Picus viridis | Europe south from southern Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Asia Minor, northern Iran and south-west Turkmenistan. |
 | Iberian green woodpecker | Picus sharpei | Europe |
.jpg) | Levaillant's woodpecker | Picus vaillantii | Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia in northwest Africa |
.jpg) | Red-collared woodpecker | Picus rabieri | Cambodia, China, Laos, and Vietnam. |
.jpg) | Black-headed woodpecker | Picus erythropygius | Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. |
.jpg) | Grey-headed woodpecker | Picus canus | Central, Northern and Eastern Europe, as well as a wide belt south of the boreal coniferous forests across Asia all the way to the Pacific coast, Sakhalin and Hokkaidō |
| Sumatran woodpecker | Picus dedemi | Indonesia |
The following were formerly included inPicus, but are now placed inChrysophlegma.
An extinct woodpecker has been described from a fossil of a lefttarsometatarsus dating from lateMiocene. It may belong to this genus and has been given the binomial namePicus peregrinabundus.[6]
