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Green Woodpecker (1 Viewer)

Richard Klim

Richard Klim

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Pons, Olioso, Cruaud & Fuchs 2010. Phylogeography of the Eurasian green woodpecker (Picus viridis). J Biogeogr: in press.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2010.02401.x/abstract

Supports treatment of Levaillant's Woodpecker P vaillantii as a species, but Iberian Green Woodpecker P viridis sharpei as a subspecies pending further studies (recognised as a species by Dutch Birding since Jan 2002).

Richard
 
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Richard Klim said:
Pons, Olioso, Cruaud & Fuchs 2010. Phylogeography of the Eurasian green woodpecker (Picus viridis). J Biogeogr: in press.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2010.02401.x/abstract

Supports treatment of Levaillant's Woodpecker P vaillantii as a species, but Iberian Green Woodpecker P viridis sharpei as a subspecies (recognised as a species by Dutch Birding since Jan 2002).

Richard
Click to expand...

To me, the abstract seems a little ambiguous - the authors could be saying that sharpei is conspecific with Green Woodpecker, but I think it's more likely that they're saying that it probably isn't, but that they don't have enough evidence yet to propose a firm split. It would be good to see what actual evidence for conspecificity is presented in the paper: I suspect very little.
 
Local exchange of genes must occur between Myrtle and Audubon's Warbler, Bullock's and Baltimore Oriole, American and Eurasian Wigeon... I think the split is pretty obvious (sadly I failed to find Ib Green last month).
 
PERKTAS, U., BARROWCLOUGH, G. F. and GROTH, J. G. (2011), Phylogeography and species limits in the green woodpecker complex (Aves: Picidae): multiple Pleistocene refugia and range expansion across Europe and the Near East. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 104: 710–723. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2011.01750.x
Abstract
 
Perktas et al 2011

Well spotted, Peter. That's two avian taxonomy papers that Wiley has sneaked past Early View today! ;)

So, probably now four species in the Picus viridis complex. P sharpei Iberian Green Woodpecker has already been recognised by Dutch Birding since Jan 2002. Perhaps P innominatus could be 'Zagros Green Woodpecker'?

Winkler & Christie 2002 (HBW 7).
 
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i'm going to cloggy land to get me an extra tick...

Definately in need as bombed out on recent tour of the med!

Here, according to local research, they tend to inhabit different parts of the wood - sharpei prefer dense forest and more in the mountains and viridis more open terrain. Saw one on a tree in the middle of a resevoir today!!
 
Richard Klim said:
...as did Dutch Birding in Jan 2002.

And I've still never seen one!
Click to expand...

I couldn't find one in five days in SW Spain over xmas a few years ago; I got the feeling they were less than common, at least in that area. I'm told they are common around Madrid though and can be handily combined with a trip for Iberian Pied Fly...

cheers, alan
 
Iberian Green Woodpecker

lewis20126 said:
I couldn't find one in five days in SW Spain over xmas a few years ago; I got the feeling they were less than common, at least in that area. I'm told they are common around Madrid though and can be handily combined with a trip for Iberian Pied Fly...
Click to expand...
I just never looked for it, and certainly didn't chance upon it, on visits to Spain in the nineties. But need to go back anyway some day for Rüppell's Vulture and White-rumped Swift for the Holarctic list - and, as you say, perhaps Iberian Pied Fly for insurance...
 
Richard Klim said:
I just never looked for it, and certainly didn't chance upon it, on visits to Spain in the nineties. But need to go back anyway some day for Rüppell's Vulture and White-rumped Swift for the Holarctic list - and, as you say, perhaps Iberian Pied Fly for insurance...
Click to expand...

The green woodpeckers aren't thick on the ground, and they are heard more than they are seen, but if you're down that way looking for Ruppells, you could do worse than look at the picnic site just inside the Sierra de las Nieves natural park just off the San Pedro de Alcantara to Ronda road at about km14. I've had them there on several occasions, most recently two months ago. I saw another on the same trip near the club-house at the Montenmedio golf course just outside Vejer de la Frontera, Cadiz (check out the driving range for birds).

The photo below was snatched from the car in deep shade as the bird hopped up onto the tree from the lawn. It's the only one I've ever managed to photograph.

Another place that springs to mind is at the Rio Genal bridge between Casares and Gaucin, near the Sierra Crestellina.


Roll on the split.
 

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Iberian Green Woodpecker

Saw several some years ago in an area of wooded heath on the edge of Salou. Certainly not the dense woodland referred to above.

PM me if you want details [I'm not expecting to be inundated!]

Alban
 

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