Hemicircus is a genus of birds in the woodpecker family Picidae. Members of the genus are found in India and Southeast Asia.
Hemicircus | |
---|---|
Heart-spotted woodpecker (Hemicircus canente) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Piciformes |
Family: | Picidae |
Tribe: | Hemicirini |
Genus: | Hemicircus Swainson, 1837 |
Type species | |
Picus concretus[1] Temminck, 1821
| |
Species | |
see text | |
Synonyms | |
Hemicercus |
These are small woodpeckers with short tails. The plumage is mainly black and white.[2]
The genus was introduced in 1837 by the English naturalist William John Swainson with the grey-and-buff woodpecker (Hemicircus concretus) as the type species.[3][4] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek 'hēmi meaning "half" or "small" and kerkos meaning "tail".[5]
The genus contains two species:[6]
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|---|
Grey-and-buff woodpecker
|
Hemicircus sordidus (Temminck, 1821) Two subspecies
|
Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo and Java | Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
Heart-spotted woodpecker
|
Hemicircus canente (Lesson, 1832) |
Western Ghats and the forests of central India | Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|