Pici (taxon)

Pici
Female Magellanic woodpecker (Campephilus magellanicus)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Suborder: Pici
Meyer & Wolf, 1810
Infraorders and families

Pici is one of the two suborders of the order Piciformes. It includes two infraorders, Ramphastides (toucans and barbets) and Picides (honeyguides and woodpeckers). Members of this suborder have been called "true piciforms", as the jacamars of Galbulidae and puffbirds of Bucconidae (of the other piciform suborder Galbuli) were for a time thought to be not closely related to toucans and woodpeckers, but instead to the order Coraciiformes.[1][2] However, analysis of nuclear DNA confirmed that Galbuli and Pici are sister groups, and thus their similarities such as zygodactyl feet were inherited from their common ancestor.[3][4] Some classifications continue to treat Galbuli as a separate order (Galbuliformes), in which case Piciformes becomes equivalent in scope to Pici.

  1. ^ Sibley, Charles Gald & Ahlquist, Jon Edward (1990): Phylogeny and classification of birds. Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn.
  2. ^ Feduccia, Alan (1999). The Origin and Evolution of Birds. Yale University Press. p. 341. ISBN 9780300078619.
  3. ^ Johansson, Ulf S. & Ericson, Per G.P. (2003). "Molecular support for a sister group relationship between Pici and Galbulae (Piciformes sensu Wetmore 1960" (PDF). Journal of Avian Biology. 34 (2): 185. doi:10.1034/j.1600-048X.2003.03103.x.
  4. ^ Ericson, P. G. P.; Anderson, C. L.; Britton, T.; Elzanowski, A.; Johansson, U. S.; Källersjö, M.; Ohlson, J. I.; Parsons, T. J.; Zuccon, D.; Mayr, G. (2006). "Diversification of Neoaves: integration of molecular sequence data and fossils". Biology Letters. 2 (4): 543–547. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2006.0523. PMC 1834003. PMID 17148284.