White-barred Piculet

The white-barred piculet (Picumnus cirratus) is a species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, and Uruguay. == Taxonomy and systematics == The white-barred piculet was first described in 1825 by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck. Six subspecies are recognized: P. c. macconnelli Sharpe, 1901 P. c. confusus Kinnear, 1927 P. c. cirratus Temminck, 1825 P. c. pilcomayensis Hargitt, 1891 P. c. tucumanus Hartert, E.J.O., 1909 P. c. thamnophiloides Bond, J. & Meyer de Schauensee, 1942 The white-barred piculet's taxonomy and that of genus Picumnus in general are uncertain. Molecular studies show that it is a sister species to the ochre-collared piculet (P. temminckii) and also closely related to the ocellated piculet (P. dorbignyanus), and at different times these species have been treated as synonymous. Subspecies pilcomayensis, thamnophiloides, and tucumanus intergrade in northern Argentina and are sometimes considered a separate species. Subspecies pilcomayensis and cirratus intergrade in eastern Paraguay. Subspecies confusus and macconnelli may also form a distinct species. The white-barred piculet also hybridizes widely with several other species of piculet where their ranges overlap; these include the varzea (P. varzeae) along the Amazon River, the ochre-collared in…