Martjan Lammertink

Mid-Pleistocene divergence of Cuban and North American ivory-billed woodpeckers

We used ancient DNA analysis of seven museum specimens of the endangered North American ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) and three specimens of the species from Cuba to document their degree of differentiation and their relationships to other Campephilus woodpeckers. Analysis of these mtDNA sequences reveals that the Cuban and North American ivory bills, along with the imperial woodpecker (Campephilus imperialis) of Mexico, are a monophyletic group and are roughly equidistant genetically, suggesting each lineage may be a separate species. Application of both internal and external rate calibrations indicates that the three lineages split more than one million years ago, in the Mid-Pleistocene. We thus can exclude the hypothesis that Native Americans introduced North American ivory-billed woodpeckers to Cuba. Our sequences of all three woodpeckers also provide an important DNA barcoding resource for identification of non-invasive samples or remains of these critically endangered and charismatic woodpeckers.

Population size, Red List status and conservation of the Natuna leaf monkey Presbytis natunae endemic to the island of Bunguran, Indonesia

We present the first population estimate for the Natuna leaf monkey Presbytis natunae, endemic to the island of Bunguran, Indonesia, based on a 2-month survey. Bunguran has a land area of only 1,605 km(2) and was until 1980 largely covered in primary forest. At present primary forest exists only in small patches within a matrix of logged forest, which covers nearly 70% of the island. Natuna leaf monkeys are confined to forest and have a preference for primary lowland forest patches. Groups average 3.5+/-SD 2.0 individuals and occur in a density of 2.3+/-SD 1.1 groups per km(2). Extrapolation of the density estimates to the entire island indicates that

Trends in Threat Status and Priorities in Conservation of the Woodpeckers of the World

Abstract. Taking the first IUCN Red List from 1988 as a starting point, I review trends in the threat status of the woodpecker species of the world, the geographical distribution of (near-) threatened woodpecker species, threat factors affecting these species, and the research output about them. Between 1988 and 2013 the number of genuinely Red Listed woodpeckers (categories Near Threatened and up) increased from 20 to 28 species and the number of species in the categories Vulnerable and up from 8 to 12. As percentage of recognised woodpecker species in the different years, the increase in Red Listed woodpecker species was even sharper. The geographical distribution of Red Listed woodpeckers stayed constant between 1988 and 2013, with over half of the species in Latin America, about one quarter in Asia, and none in Europe. A taxonomic reappraisal adopted by IUCN in 2014 raised the total number of recognised woodpecker species to 254 and of Red Listed woodpecker species to 42, of which 40% occur in Asia. Nearly all Red Listed woodpecker species on the 2013 list are threatened by deforestation. Out of 28 species, 10 are also threatened by selective logging, and these 10 are in higher threat categories. Woodpecker conservation research should focus in particular on the species sensitive to selective logging, to assess their within-habitat requirements and thresholds. The output of research on Red Listed woodpeckers in the past 25 years was heavily skewed to three North American species: Red-headed Woodpecker Melanerpes erythrocephalus, Red-cockaded Woodpecker Picoides borealis and Ivory-billed Woodpecker Campephilus principalis. I identify 10 priority species to focus woodpecker conservation research on, four from Latin America: Speckle-chested Piculet Picumnus steindachneri, Fernandinas Flicker Colaptes fernandinae, Black-bodied Woodpecker Dryocopus schulzi, Helmeted Woodpecker Dryocopus galeatus; and six from Asia: Okinawa Woodpecker Dendrocopos noguchii, Korean White-bellied Woodpecker Dryocopus richardsi, Great Slaty Woodpecker Mulleripicus pulverulentus, Red-collared Woodpecker Picus rabieri, Yellow-faced Flameback Chrysocolaptes xanthocephalus and Whiterumped Woodpecker Meiglyptes tristis.

Film Documentation of the Probably Extinct Imperial Woodpecker (Campephilus imperlalis)

ABSTRACT. The Imperial Woodpecker (Campephilus imperialis) of Mexico—the largest woodpecker in the world—probably became extinct in the late 20th century, without known documentation of the species in life. We describe a recently discovered 16-mm color film of an Imperial Woodpecker taken in 1956 by William L. Rhein. The film documents climbing strides, launches, flights, and foraging of one female Imperial Woodpecker. For perches and foraging the woodpecker used dead or recently dead Durango Pines (Pinus durangensis). Trunks of perch and foraging trees were of the largest diameters available in this tree species. After allowing for possible inaccuracies in the frame speed of the film, we found that the Imperial Woodpecker had slow climbing strides and a fast wingflap rate compared with other woodpeckers. Following landmarks documented during the 1956 expedition, we identified and surveyed the film site in 2010. The site was in coniferous forest in lightly undulating terrain at 2,700–2,900 m elevation. In 1956, the area was oldgrowth forest with abundant large and dead trees. By 2010, the area had been logged multiple times. Interviews with local people indicated that Imperial Woodpeckers had disappeared from the region by 1960 and that they were killed by hunting and perhaps through poisoning instigated by logging interests. Human persecution and the logging of large pines for timber and of dead trees for pulp were likely principal factors in the extinction process of the Imperial Woodpecker.

A striking case of deceptive woodpecker colouration: the threatened Helmeted Woodpecker Dryocopus galeatus belongs in the genus Celeus

The Helmeted Woodpecker Dryocopus galeatus is a threatened species of the Atlantic Forest in southeastern South America. It has traditionally been placed in the genus Dryocopus, but it shows similarities in plumage and structure with woodpeckers in the genus Celeus. We sequenced mitochondrial and nuclear DNA that was sampled from live captured Helmeted Woodpeckers. We found that the Helmeted Woodpecker has a phylogenetic position embedded within the genus Celeus, and recommend its taxonomic treatment as Celeus galeatus. The Helmeted Woodpecker belongs to a clade within Celeus that includes Kaempfer’s Woodpecker C. obrieni, Rufous-headed Woodpecker C. spectabilis, and Cream-coloured Woodpecker C. flavus. It has the southernmost distribution range of the woodpeckers in this clade. The Helmeted Woodpecker is sympatric throughout its range with Lineated Woodpecker Dryocopus lineatus and Robust Woodpecker Campephilus robustus and these species from three different genera show a remarkable convergence in plumage colours and patterns. With the inclusion of Helmeted Woodpecker in Celeus, this genus has four out of 15 species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, a higher proportion of red listed species than in the woodpecker family overall.ZusammenfassungEin Fall verblüffend irreführender Spechtfärbung: der bedrohte WellenohrspechtDryocopus galeatusist einCeleus Der Wellenohrspecht ist eine bedrohte Spechtart der atlantischen Wälder im Südosten Südamerikas. Er wurde traditionellerweise in das Genus Dryocopus eingeordnet, weist aber in Gefieder und Struktur Ähnlichkeiten zur Gattung Celeus auf. Wir sequenzierten mitochondriale und nukleare DNA aus Proben, die lebend gefangenen Individuen entnommen worden waren. Wir fanden heraus, dass der Wellenohrspecht phylogenetisch innerhalb der Gattung Celeus positioniert ist und empfehlen, ihn in dieses Genus zu klassifizieren. Dieser Specht gehört zu einer Stammlinie innerhalb von Celeus, die den Kaempferspecht Celeus obrieni, Zimtkopfspecht C. spectabilis und den Strohspecht C. flavus enthält. Er stellt den südlichsten Vertreter dieser Gruppe dar. Sein Verbreitungsgebiet deckt sich mit jenen des Linienspechts Dryocopus lineatus und des Scharlachkopfspechts Campephilus robustus und diese drei Arten aus verschiedenen Genera weisen eine bemerkenswerte Konvergenz in Gefiederfärbung und -muster auf. Zusammen mit dem Wellenohrspecht beinhaltet die 15 Arten zählende Gattung Celeus vier auf der Roten Liste der IUCN stehende Arten, mehr als der Durchschnitt der Familie.