Editing Picinae (section)

== Systematics ==
The systematics of woodpeckers is quite convoluted. Based on an assumption of unrealistically low [[Convergent evolution|convergence]] in details of plumage and behavior, 5 subfamilies were distinguished. However, it has turned out that similar plumage patterns and modes of life are not reliable to determine higher phylogenetic relationships in woodpeckers, and thus only 3 subfamilies should be accepted.

For example, the genera ''[[Dryocopus]]'' ([[Eurasia]] and [[Americas]]) and ''[[Campephilus]]'' (Americas) of large woodpeckers were believed to form a distinct group. However, they are quite unrelated and instead close, respectively, to the genera, ''[[Mulleripicus]]'' and ''[[Chrysocolaptes]]'', of [[Southeast Asia]]. In addition, the [[genus]] allocation of many species, e.g. the [[rufous woodpecker]], has turned out to be in error, and some taxa with unclear relationships could be placed into the phylogeny.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Benz | first1=B.W. | last2=Robbins | first2=M.B. | last3=Peterson | first3=A.T. | year=2006 | title=Evolutionary history of woodpeckers and allies (Aves: Picidae): Placing key taxa on the phylogenetic tree | journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=40 | issue=2 | pages=389–399 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2006.02.021 | pmid=16635580 | bibcode=2006MolPE..40..389B }}</ref><ref>{{ cite journal | last1=Moore | first1=W.S. | last2=Weibel | first2=A.C. | last3=Aguis | first3=A. | year=2006 | title=DNA phylogeny of the woodpecker genus ''Veniliornis'' (Picidae, Picinae) and related genera implies convergent evolution of plumage patterns | journal=Biological Journal of the Linnean Society | volume=87 | issue=4 | pages=611–624 | doi=10.1111/j.1095-8312.2006.00586.x | doi-access=free }}</ref>

In 1975 John Morony and colleagues in their ''Reference List of the Birds of the World'' divided the true woodpeckers into six [[Tribe (biology)|tribe]]s: Melanerpini, Campetherini, Colaptini, Campephilini, Picini, Meiglyptini.<ref>{{Cite book | last1=Morony | first1=John J. | last2=Bock | first2=Walter J. | last3=Farrand | first3=John | date=1975 | title=Reference List of the Birds of the World | location=New York | publisher=Department of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History | pages=66–68 | hdl=2246/6700 | url=http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/6700 }}</ref> This classification was used in 1982 by Lesley Short in his ''Woodpeckers of the World''.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Short | first=Lester L. | year=1982 | title=Woodpeckers of the World  | series=Monograph Series 4 | location=Greenville, Delaware | publisher=Delaware Museum of Natural History | page=36 | isbn=0-913176-05-2 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/53630418 }}</ref> The introduction of molecular methods led to a substantial reorganization of the phylogeny making the earlier groups obsolete. In 2005 David Webb and William Moore divided the main woodpecker genera into three tribes: Megapicini, Malarpicini and Dendropicini.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1=Webb | first1=David Matthew | last2=Moore | first2=William S. | date=2005 | title=A phylogenetic analysis of woodpeckers and their allies using 12S, Cyt b, and COI nucleotide sequences (class Aves; order Piciformes) | journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume=36 | issue=2 | pages=233–248 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2005.03.015| pmid=15869887 | bibcode=2005MolPE..36..233W }}</ref> These names were rapidly accepted by other ornithologists but in 2013 [[Edward C. Dickinson|Edward Dickinson]] and [[Leslie Christidis]] in the fourth edition of the ''[[Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World]]'' rejected these new names on the grounds that the earlier names had precedence. Webb and Moore's Malarpicini, Megapicini and Dendropicini were replaced by Pici, Campephilini and Melanerpini. Dickinson and Christidis also introduced Nesoctitini for the Antillean piculets and Hemicircini for the two species in Hemicircus giving a total of five tribes.<ref>{{ cite book | editor-last1=Dickinson | editor-first1=E.C. | editor1-link=Edward C. Dickinson | editor-last2=Remsen | editor-first2=J.V. Jr. | editor2-link=James Van Remsen Jr. | year=2013 | title=The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World | volume= 1: Non-passerines | edition=4th | place=Eastbourne, UK | publisher=Aves Press | isbn=978-0-9568611-0-8 | pages=298, 307, 309 }}</ref>

===Genera===
{{Cladogram
|caption=Relationships between the genera based on a phylogenetic study by Sabir Shakya and colleagues published in 2017.<ref name=shakya>{{Cite journal | last1=Shakya | first1=S.B. | last2=Fuchs | first2=J. | last3=Pons | first3=J.-M. | last4=Sheldon | first4=F.H. | date=2017 | title=Tapping the woodpecker tree for evolutionary insight | journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume=116 | pages=182–191 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2017.09.005 | pmid=28890006 | url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319596154 | doi-access=free | bibcode=2017MolPE.116..182S }}</ref>
|align=right
|cladogram={{Clade| style=font-size:80%;line-height:75%;width:320px;
|label1=Picinae
|1={{clade
   |1={{clade
      |label1=Hemicircini
      |1=''[[Hemicircus]]''
      |label2=Nesoctitini
      |2=''[[Nesoctites]]''
      }}
   |2={{clade
      |label1=Picini
      |1={{clade
         |1={{clade
            |1={{clade
               |1=''[[Dinopium]]''
               |2=''[[Gecinulus]]''
               }}
            |2={{clade
               |1=''[[Meiglyptes]]''
               |2=''[[Micropternus]]''
               }}
            }}
         |2={{clade
            |1={{clade
               |1={{clade
                  |1=''[[Dryocopus]]''
                  |2=''[[Mulleripicus]]''
                  }}
               |2={{clade
                  |1=''[[Celeus (bird)|Celeus]]''
                  |2={{clade
                     |1=''[[Colaptes]]''
                     |2=''[[Piculus]]''
                     }}
                  }}
               }}
            |2={{clade
               |1=''[[Picus (genus)|Picus]]''
               |2={{clade
                  |1=''[[Chrysophlegma]]''
                  |2={{clade
                     |1=''[[Pardipicus]]''
                     |2={{clade
                        |1=''[[Campethera]]''
                        |2=''[[Geocolaptes]]''
                        }}
                     }}
                  }}
               }}
            }}
         }}
      |2={{clade
         |label1=Campephilini
         |1={{clade
            |1=''[[Campephilus]]''
            |2={{clade
               |1=''[[Blythipicus]]''
               |2={{clade
                  |1=''[[Chrysocolaptes]]''
                  |2=''[[Reinwardtipicus]]''
                  }}
               }}
            }}
         |label2=Melanerpini
         |2={{clade
            |1={{clade
               |1=''[[Melanerpes]]''
               |2=''[[Sphyrapicus]]''
               }}
            |2={{clade
               |1={{clade
                  |1=''[[Picoides]]''
                  |2=''[[Yungipicus]]''
                  }}
               |2={{clade
                  |1={{clade
                     |1={{clade
                        |1=''[[Chloropicus]]''
                        |2=''[[Dendropicos]]''
                        }}
                     |2={{clade
                        |1=''[[Dendrocoptes]]''
                        |2=''[[Leiopicus]]''
                        }}
                     }}
                  |2={{clade
                     |1=''[[Dendrocopos]]''
                     |2={{clade
                        |1=''[[Dryobates]]''
                        |2={{clade
                           |1=''[[Leuconotopicus]]''
                           |2=''[[Veniliornis]]''
                           }}
                        }}
                     }}
                  }}
               }}
            }}
         }}
      }}
   }}
}}
}}
The world bird list maintained by [[Frank Gill (ornithologist)|Frank Gill]], [[Pamela Rasmussen]] and David Donsker on behalf of the [[International Ornithologists' Union]] recognises 208 species of true woodpecker which are split up into 33 genera.<ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela C. Rasmussen | date=February 2025 | title=Woodpeckers | work=IOC World Bird List Version 15.1 | url=http://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/woodpeckers/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=11 March 2025 }}</ref> The division into tribes is based on the 2017 study by Sabir Shakya and colleagues.<ref name=shakya/>

'''Tribe Nesoctitini'''
*''[[Nesoctites]]'' – monotypic: [[Antillean piculet]] (Caribbean)
'''Tribe Hemicircini'''
*''[[Hemicircus]]'' – 2 species ([[Indomalaya]])
'''Tribe Picini'''
*''[[Micropternus]]'' – monotypic: [[rufous woodpecker]] (Indomalaya)
*''[[Meiglyptes]]'' – 4 species (Indomalaya)
*''[[Gecinulus]]'' – 3 species (Indomalaya)
*''[[Dinopium]]'' – 5 species, flamebacks (Indomalaya)
*''[[Picus (genus)|Picus]]'' – 14 species (Indomalaya and Palearctic)
*''[[Chrysophlegma]]'' – 3 species (Indomalaya)
*''[[Pardipicus]]'' – 2 species (Africa)
*''[[Geocolaptes]]'' – monotypic: [[ground woodpecker]] (Africa)
*''[[Campethera]]'' – 11 species (Africa)
*''[[Mulleripicus]]'' – 4 species (Indomalaya)
*''[[Dryocopus]]'' – 6 species (Eurasia and Americas)
*''[[Celeus (bird)|Celeus]]'' – 12 species ([[Neotropic]])
*''[[Piculus]]'' – 7 species (Neotropic)
*''[[Colaptes]]'' – 14 species (Americas)
'''Tribe Campephilini'''
*''[[Campephilus]]'' – 12 species (Americas)
*''[[Blythipicus]]'' – 2 species (Indomalaya)
*''[[Reinwardtipicus]]'' – monotypic: [[orange-backed woodpecker]] (Indomalaya)
*''[[Chrysocolaptes]]'' – 9 species, flamebacks (Indomalaya)
'''Tribe Melanerpini''' (pied woodpeckers)
*''[[Sphyrapicus]]'' – 4 species, sapsuckers (Americas)
*''[[Melanerpes]]'' – 23 species (Americas)
*''[[Picoides]]'' – 3 species ([[Holarctic]])
*''[[Yungipicus]]'' – 7 species (Eurasia)
*''[[Leiopicus]]'' – monotypic: [[yellow-crowned woodpecker]] (Indomalaya)
*''[[Dendrocoptes]]'' – 3 species (Eurasia)
*''[[Chloropicus]]'' – 3 species (Africa)
*''[[Dendropicos]]'' – 12 species (Africa)
*''[[Dendrocopos]]'' – 12 species (Eurasia)
*''[[Dryobates]]'' – 6 species (Americas and Eurasia){{efn|In the ''eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World'' which is maintained by the [[Cornell Lab of Ornithology]], the genus ''Dryobates'' is expanded to include the species in ''Leuconotopicus'' and ''Veniliornis''.<ref>{{ cite web | last1=Clements | first1=J.F. | last2=Schulenberg | first2=T.S. | last3=Iliff | first3=M.J. | last4=Billerman | first4=S.M. | last5=Fredericks | first5=T.A. | last6=Sullivan | first6=B.L. | last7=Wood | first7=C.L. | year=2019 | title=The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019 | url=http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ | access-date=18 May 2020 }}</ref>}}
*''[[Leuconotopicus]]'' – 6 species (Americas)
*''[[Veniliornis]]'' – 14 species (Neotropic)
*''[[Xiphidiopicus]]'' – monotypic: [[Cuban green woodpecker]] (Caribbean){{efn|The Cuban green woodpecker (''Xiphidiopicus percussus'') was not sampled by Shakya and colleagues in their 2017 study.<ref name=shakya/> An earlier study in which DNA sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome-''b'' were compared indicated that the Cuban woodpecker was most closely related to species in the genus ''Melanerpes''.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1=Overton | first1=Lowell C. | last2=Rhoads | first2=Douglas D. | date=2006 | title=Molecular phylogenetic relationships of ''Xiphidiopicus percussus'', ''Melanerpes'', and ''Sphyrapicus'' (Aves: Picidae) based on cytochrome ''b'' sequence | journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume=41 | issue=2 | pages=288–294 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2006.05.014| pmid=16814571 | bibcode=2006MolPE..41..288O }}</ref>}}

===Unassigned fossil forms===
* Genus ''[[Palaeonerpes]]'' (Ogallala Early Pliocene of Hitchcock County, USA) - possibly dendropicine
* Genus ''[[Pliopicus]]'' (Early Pliocene of Kansas, USA) - possibly dendropicine
* cf. ''Colaptes'' DMNH 1262 (Early Pliocene of Ainsworth, USA) - possibly malarpicine<!-- Condor33:255 -->