What is Piculet?
{{Taxobox | name = Piculets | image = Picumnus temminckii2.jpg | image_caption = Ochre-collared piculet | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] | classis = [[Bird|Aves]] | ordo = [[Piciformes]] | familia = [[Picidae]] | subfamilia = '''Picumninae''' | subdivision_ranks = Genera | subdivision = ''[[Picumnus (bird)|Picumnus]]''<br /> ''[[Verreauxia]]''<br /> ''[[Sasia]]''}} The '''piculets''' are a [[subfamily]] of small [[woodpecker]]s which are mostly in tropical [[South America]], with just three [[Asia]]n and one [[Africa]]n [[species]]. Like true woodpeckers, piculets have large heads, long tongues to get their [[insect]] prey and [[zygodactyl]] feet, with two toes pointing forward, and two backwards. However, they lack the stiff tail feathers that woodpeckers use when climbing trees. They are more likely to perch on a branch rather than an upright trunk. They eat insects and grubs mainly from decaying wood. They re-use woodpecker holes for nesting, rather than making their own holes. The eggs are white, as with many hole nesters. There are 30 species in all.<ref>del Hoyo J.; Elliott A. & Sargatal J. (editors) 2002. ''Handbook of birds of the world'', Volume 7: Jacamars to Woodpeckers. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. {{ISBN|84-87334-22-9}}</ref> It is known that they split off from mainstream woodpeckers in the middle [[Miocene]] about 15 million years ago (mya). Splits between the three [[genera]] happened about 7.9 mya.<ref>Fuchs J. ''et al'' 2006. Molecular phylogeny and biogeographic history of the piculets (Piciformes: Picumninae). ''Journal of Avian Biology'' '''37'''(5): 487-496. [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.0908-8857.2006.03768.x/abstract?systemMessage=Wiley+Online+Library+will+be+disrupted+on+7th+March+from+10%3A00-13%3A00+GMT+%2805%3A00-08%3A00+EST%29+for+essential+maintenance.++Apologies+for+the+inconvenience.]</ref> Typically these birds have grey or dull green upperparts and dark-streaked white underparts. == References == {{reflist}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q244364}} [