Picides

Picides
Scaly-throated honeyguide (Indicator variegatus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Suborder: Pici
Infraorder: Picides
Meyer & Wolf, 1810
Families
  • Indicatoridae
  • Picidae

Picides is an infraorder of the Piciformes order, that includes woodpeckers and honeyguides. The honeyguides were thought to be closely related to the barbets, as their ariel display and vocalization are similar to each other than either are to woodpeckers. However phylogenetic analysis has shown that honeyguides and woodpeckers are indeed sister taxa.[1][2]

Systematics

Despite having two families, Picides is an extremely widespread group of piciforms with the family Picidae being the largest containing about 200 species in four subfamilies.

References

  1. ↑ Sibley, Charles Gald & Ahlquist, Jon Edward (1990): Phylogeny and classification of birds. Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn.
  2. ↑ Moyle, R. G. (2004). Phylogenetics of barbets (Aves: Piciformes) based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequence data. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 30(1), 187-200.

External links

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