FOR SALE:
A bird-themed puzzle featuring the art of Roger Tory Peterson
1967 RED-HEADED WOODPECKER JIGSAW PUZZLE BY SPRINGBOK
DETAILS:
A blast from the '60s past!
This 51-piece frame tray style jigsaw puzzle from Springbok features a wonderful illustration of a red-headed woodpecker in nature by the renowned educator and artist, Roger Tory Peterson. The puzzle image is a painting that was created by Roger Tory Peterson exclusively for the National Wildlife Federation, Washington, D.C. In the painting a beautiful adult red-headed woodpecker, complete with lovely, deep ruby red hair is shown perched on a branch during the Fall season. On the backside of the frame tray is a resealable pocket you can use to hold the puzzle pieces when not in use. Printed on the back pocket is information regarding the manufacturer, the product, the red-headed woodpecker, and the puzzle art artist.
Dimensions:
11" x 18"
CONDITION:
Unused; sealed but has some storage wear. The shrink wrap is still intact except at the corners and bottom edge. The corners and bottom edge have acquired some storage damage. Please see photos.
*To ensure safe delivery all items are carefully packaged before shipping out*
THANK YOU FOR LOOKING. QUESTIONS? JUST ASK.
*ALL PHOTOS AND TEXT ARE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF SIDEWAYS STAIRS CO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.*
"A
jigsaw puzzle is a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of often oddly
shaped interlocking and mosaiced pieces. Typically, each individual piece has a
portion of a picture; when assembled, they produce a complete picture.
Beginning in the 18th century, jigsaw puzzles were created by painting a
picture on a flat, rectangular piece of wood, then cutting it into small
pieces. Despite the name, a jigsaw was never used. John Spilsbury, a London
cartographer and engraver, is credited with commercializing jigsaw puzzles
around 1760.[1] They have since come to be made primarily of cardboard.
Typical images on jigsaw puzzles include scenes from nature, buildings, and
repetitive designs—castles and mountains are common, as well as other
traditional subjects. However, any kind of picture can be used. Artisanal
puzzle-makers and companies using technologies for one-off and small print-run
puzzles utilize a wide range of subject matter, including optical illusions,
unusual art, and personal photographs. In addition to traditional flat,
two-dimensional puzzles, three-dimensional puzzles have entered large-scale
production, including spherical puzzles and architectural recreations.
In recent years, a range of jigsaw puzzle accessories including boards, cases,
frames, and roll-up mats has become available to assist jigsaw puzzle enthusiasts.
While most assembled puzzles are disassembled for reuse, they can also be
attached to a backing with adhesive and displayed as art....
History
John Spilsbury's "Europe divided into its kingdoms, etc." (1766). He
created the jigsaw puzzle for educational purposes, and called them
"Dissected Maps".[2][3]
London engraver and cartographer John Spilsbury is believed to have produced
the first jigsaw puzzle around 1760, using a marquetry saw.[1] Early puzzles,
known as dissections, were produced by mounting maps on sheets of hardwood and
cutting along national boundaries, creating a puzzle useful for teaching
geography.[1] Royal governess Lady Charlotte Finch used such "dissected
maps" to teach the children of King George III and Queen Charlotte[4][5]
British printed puzzle from 1874.
The name "jigsaw" came to be associated with the puzzle around 1880
when fretsaws became the tool of choice for cutting the shapes. Since fretsaws
are distinct from jigsaws, the name appears to be a misnomer.[1] Cardboard jigsaw
puzzles appeared in the late 1800s, but were slow to replace wooden ones
because manufacturers felt that cardboard puzzles would be perceived as
low-quality, and because profit margins on wooden jigsaws were larger.[1]
Wooden jigsaw pieces, cut by hand
Jigsaw puzzles soared in popularity during the Great Depression, as they
provided a cheap, long-lasting, recyclable form of entertainment.[1][6] It was
around this time that jigsaws evolved to become more complex and appealing to
adults.[1] They were also given away in product promotions and used in
advertising, with customers completing an image of the promoted product.[1][6]
Sales of wooden puzzles fell after World War II as improved wages led to price
increases, while improvements in manufacturing processes made paperboard
jigsaws more attractive.[6]
According to the Alzheimer Society of Canada, doing jigsaw puzzles is one of
many activities that can help keep the brain active and may reduce the risk of
Alzheimer's disease.[7]
Demand for jigsaw puzzles saw a surge, comparable to that of the Great
Depression, during the stay-at-home orders.[8][9]
Modern construction
Paperboard jigsaw pieces
Most modern jigsaw puzzles are made of paperboard as they are easier and
cheaper to mass-produce. An enlarged photograph or printed reproduction of a
painting or other two-dimensional artwork is glued to cardboard, which is then
fed into a press. The press forces a set of hardened steel blades of the
desired pattern, called a puzzle die, through the board until it is fully cut.
The puzzle die is a flat board, often made from plywood, with slots cut or
burned in the same shape as the knives that are used. The knives are set into
the slots and covered in a compressible material, typically foam rubber, which
serves to eject the cut puzzle pieces.
The cutting process is similar to making shaped cookies with a cookie
cutter—however, the forces involved are tremendously greater: A typical
1000-piece puzzle requires upwards of 700 tons of force to push the die through
the board.
Beginning in the 1930s, jigsaw puzzles were cut using large hydraulic presses
which now cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The precise cuts gave a
very snug fit, but the cost limited jigsaw puzzle production to large corporations.
Recent roller-press methods achieve the same results at lower cost.[citation
needed]
New technology has also enabled laser-cutting of wooden or acrylic jigsaw
puzzles, with the advantage that the puzzle can be custom-cut to any size or
shape, with any number or average size of pieces. Many museums have laser-cut
acrylic puzzles made of some of their art that so visiting children can
assemble puzzles of the images on display. Acrylic pieces are very durable,
waterproof, and can withstand continued use without the image degrading. Also,
because the print and cut patterns are computer-based, lost pieces can easily
be remade.
By the early 1960s, Tower Press was the world's largest jigsaw puzzle maker; it
was acquired by Waddingtons in 1969.[10] Numerous smaller-scale puzzle makers
work in artisanal styles, handcrafting and handcutting their
creations.[11][12][13][14]
Variations
Jigsaw puzzle software allowing rotation of pieces
A three-dimensional puzzle composed of several two-dimensional puzzles stacked
on top of one another
A puzzle without a picture
Jigsaw puzzles come in a variety of sizes. Among those marketed to adults,
300-, 500- and 750-piece puzzles are considered "smaller". More
sophisticated, but still common, puzzles come in sizes of 1,000, 1,500, 2,000,
3,000, 4,000, 5,000, 6,000, 7,500, 8,000, 9,000, 13,200, 18,000, 24,000, 32,000
and 40,000 pieces.
Jigsaw puzzles geared towards children typically have many fewer pieces, and
are typically much larger. For very young children, puzzles with as few as 4 to
9 large pieces (so as not to be a choking hazard) are common. They are usually
made of wood or plastic, for durability, and can be cleaned without damage.
The most common layout for a thousand-piece puzzle is 38 pieces by 27 pieces, for
an actual total of 1,026 pieces. Most 500-piece puzzles are 27 pieces by 19
pieces. A few puzzles are double-sided so they can be solved from either
side—adding complexity, as the enthusiast must determine if they are looking at
the correct side of each piece.
"Family puzzles" of 100–550 pieces use a combination of small-,
medium- and large-sized pieces, with each size going in one direction or
towards the middle of the puzzle. This allows a family of different skill
levels and hand sizes to work on the puzzle together. Companies like Springbok,
Cobble Hill, Ravensburger and Suns Out make this type of specialty puzzle.
There are also three-dimensional jigsaw puzzles. Many are made of wood or
styrofoam and require the puzzle to be solved in a certain order, as some
pieces will not fit if others are already in place. Also common are puzzle
boxes, simple three-dimensional puzzles with a small drawer or box in the
center for storage.
Another type of 3-D jigsaw puzzle is a puzzle globe, often made of plastic.
Like 2-D puzzles, the assembled pieces form a single layer, but the final form
is three-dimensional. Most globe puzzles have designs representing spherical
shapes such as the Earth, the Moon, and historical globes of the Earth.
Jigsaw puzzles can vary greatly in price depending on their complexity, number
of pieces, and brand. Children's puzzles can start around $5.00, while larger
ones can be closer to $50.00. The most expensive puzzle to date was sold for
$27,000 in 2005 at a charitable auction for The Golden Retriever
Foundation.[15]
Several word-puzzle games use pieces similar to those in jigsaw puzzles.
Examples include Alfa-Lek, Jigsaw Words, Nab-It!, Puzzlage, Typ-Dom, Word
Jigsaw, and Yottsugo.[16][citation needed]
Puzzle pieces
A "whimsy" piece in a wooden jigsaw puzzle
A 3D jigsaw puzzle
Many puzzles are termed "fully interlocking", meaning that adjacent
pieces are connected in such a way that if one is moved horizontally, the
others stay attached to it. Sometimes the connection is tight enough to pick up
a solved part by holding one piece.
Some fully interlocking puzzles have pieces all of a similar shape, with
rounded tabs (interjambs) on opposite ends, and corresponding
indentations—called blanks—on the other two sides to receive the tabs. Other
fully interlocking puzzles may have tabs and blanks variously arranged on each
piece; but they usually have four sides, and the numbers of tabs and blanks
thus add up to four. Uniformly shaped fully interlocking puzzles, sometimes
called "Japanese Style", are the most difficult, because the
differences in the pieces' shapes is most subtle.[citation needed]
Most jigsaw puzzles are square, rectangular or round, with edge pieces with one
straight or smoothly curved side, plus four corner pieces (if the puzzle is
square or rectangular). However, some puzzles have edge and corner pieces cut
like the rest, with no straight sides, making it more challenging to identify
them. Other puzzles utilize more complex edge pieces to form special shapes
when assembled, such as profiles of animals.
The pieces of spherical jigsaw, like immersive panorama jigsaw, can be
triangular shaped, according to the rules of tessellation of the geoid
primitive.
The designer Yuu Asaka created "Jigsaw Puzzle 29" which has not four
corner pieces but five corner pieces, and is made from pale blue acrylic
without a picture. [17] It was awarded the Jury Honorable Mention of 2018
Puzzle Design Competition. [18] Because many puzzlers had solved it easily, he
created "Jigsaw Puzzle 19" which composed only with corner pieces as
revenge. [19] It was made with transparent green acrylic pieces without a
picture. [20]
World records
Largest commercially available jigsaw puzzles
Pieces Name of puzzle Company
Year Size [cm] Area [m2]
54,000 Travel by Art Grafika
2020 864 × 204 17.65
52,110 (No title: collage of animals)
MartinPuzzle 2018 696 × 202
14.06
51,300 27 Wonders from Around the World
Kodak 2019 869 × 191
16.60
48,000 Around the World Grafika
2017 768 × 204 15.67
42,000 La vuelta al Mundo Educa Borras
2017 749 × 157 11.76
40,320 Making Mickey Magic Ravensburger
2018 680 × 192 13.06
40,320 Memorable Disney Moments
Ravensburger 2016 680 × 192
13.06
33,600 Wild Life Educa Borras
2014 570 × 157 8.95
32,000 New York City Window Ravensburger
2014 544 × 192 10.45
32,000 Double Retrospect Ravensburger
2010 544 × 192 10.45
24,000 Life, The greatest puzzle Educa
Borras 2007 428 × 157
6.72
Calculating the number of border pieces before starting
Jigsaw puzzlers often want to know in advance how many border pieces they are
looking for to verify they have found all of them. Puzzle sizes are typically
listed on commercially distributed puzzles, but usually just include the total
number of pieces in the puzzle, and do not list the count of edge or interior
pieces.
Puzzlers therefore calculate the number of border pieces. To calculate B
(border pieces) from P (the total piece count), follow this method:
List the prime factors of P.
For example: For a 513-piece jigsaw, the prime factorization
tree is 3×3×3×19=513.
Take the square root of P and round off.
The square root of 513 is about 22.6, so round to 23.
Look for numbers in the prime factor list within +/- 20
percent of the square root of P.
Calculate 20% of the square root of
P.
20% of 23 = 4.6.
Develop the range, +/- 20%, from the
square root of P.
The square root is about 23. 23 +/-
4.6 = 18.4 to 27.6
Compare the range with the factor
list. Define this as E1.
The factor list shows 19 in the
range.
Determine the horizontal / vertical dimensions.
Divide P (the total number of
pieces) by E1 to determine the horizontal / vertical dimensions, E1xE2.
513 / 19 = 27. This is probably a
19x27 puzzle.
alternate approach: Take the remaining
numbers from the prime factorization tree.
3x3x3 = 27
Add the four sides and subtract "4" to correct for
the corner pieces, which would otherwise be counted in both the horizontal and
vertical.
27 + 27 + 19 + 19 -4 = 88. These 88 border pieces include 4
corners, 17 pieces between corners on the short sides, and 25 between corners
on the long sides.
Common puzzle dimensions:
1000 piece puzzle: 1026 pieces, 126 border pieces
(38x27)[21]
Largest-sized jigsaw puzzles
The world's largest-sized jigsaw puzzle measured 5,428.8 m2 (58,435 sq ft) with
21,600 pieces, each measuring a Guinness World Records maximum size of 50 cm by
50 cm. It was assembled on 3 November 2002 by 777 people at the former Kai Tak
Airport in Hong Kong.[22]
Largest jigsaw puzzle – most pieces
The Guinness record of CYM Group in 2011 with 551,232 pieces
The jigsaw with the greatest number of pieces had 551,232 pieces and measured
14.85 × 23.20 m (48 ft 8.64 in × 76 ft 1.38 in). It was assembled on 25
September 2011 at Phú Thọ Indoor Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, by
students of the University of Economics, Ho Chi Minh City. It is listed by the
Guinness World Records for the "Largest Jigsaw Puzzle – most pieces",
but as the intact jigsaw had been divided into 3,132 sections, each containing
176 pieces, which were reassembled and then connected, the claim is
controversial.[23][24]
Cultural references
The logo of Wikipedia is a globe made out of jigsaw pieces. The incomplete
sphere appears to have some pieces missing, symbolizing the room to add new
knowledge.[citation needed]
In the logo of the Colombian Office of the Attorney General appears a jigsaw
puzzle piece in foreground. They named it as "The Key Piece":
"The piece of a puzzle is the proper symbol to visually represent the
Office of the Attorney General because it includes the concepts of search,
solution and answer that the entity pursues through the investigative
activity."[25]
Art and entertainment
The central antagonist in the Saw film franchise is named Jigsaw.[26]
In the 1933 Laurel and Hardy short Me and My Pal, several characters attempt to
complete a large jigsaw puzzle.[27]
"Lost in Translation" is not only a poem about a child putting
together a jigsaw puzzle, it is itself an interpretive puzzle.
Life: A User's Manual, Georges Perec's most famous novel, tells as pieces of a
puzzle a story about a jigsaw puzzle maker.
Symbol for autism
An "autism awareness" ribbon, featuring red, blue, and yellow jigsaw
pieces
Jigsaw puzzle pieces were first used as a symbol for autism in 1963 by the
United Kingdom's National Autistic Society.[28] The organization chose jigsaw
pieces for their logo to represent the "puzzling" nature of autism
and the inability to "fit in" due to social differences, and also because
jigsaw pieces were recognizable and otherwise unused. Puzzle pieces have since
been incorporated into the logos and promotional materials of many
organizations, including the Autism Society of America and Autism Speaks.
Proponents of the autism rights movement oppose the jigsaw puzzle iconography,
stating that metaphors such as "puzzling" and "incomplete"
are harmful to autistic people. Critics of the puzzle piece symbol instead
advocate for a rainbow-colored infinity symbol representing diversity.[29] In
2017, the journal Autism concluded that the use of the jigsaw puzzle evoked
negative public perception towards autistic individuals, and in February 2018
removed the puzzle piece from their cover." (wikipedia.org)
"
Springbok Puzzles
In 1963, Springbok Editions was founded by Robert and Katie Lewin. Their jigsaw
puzzles revolutionized the industry in the United States. Inspired by
Waddington circular puzzles, that Robert bought in London as gifts for their
children, the Lewins with some assistance from Waddington, founded Springbok
Editions and began producing die-cut puzzles in the United States. Mrs. Lewin
drew the designs for cutting dies herself, making each puzzle unique in
pattern.
Springbok Editions' circular and octagonal puzzles became vastly popular and
earned the reputation of catering to die-hard puzzlers. From inception,
Springbok puzzles have been known for high quality pieces that interlock and
state-of-the-art lithography. The Lewins searched museums worldwide and
produced puzzles that reflected their passion for nature in addition to
commissioning well known artists of the time to paint special designs, making
the puzzles true collector's items. In 1963, Springbok Editions puzzles
retailed for $3.50 when the industry average retail price for a jigsaw puzzle
was less than $1.00.
The success of Springbok Editions led to an offer and eventual acquisition by
Hallmark Cards, Inc., headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1967. From
1967 to 2001, Hallmark manufactured Springbok puzzles and sold them exclusively
in Hallmark stores in the United States and Canada.
In 2002, Hallmark Cards made the decision to discontinue the manufacture of
their 34 year old line, Springbok Puzzles. The successful puzzle line's devoted
following embarked upon a letter writing campaign urging Hallmark to continue
production and the integrity of the product line. Allied Products
acquired the specific machinery and technical expertise necessary to maintain
the high quality standards the devoted Springbok puzzlers demanded.
Since Allied and Hallmark's agreement in 2002, Allied has obtained licensing
agreements with the following artists and brands for designs and graphics to
expand the Springbok line; Coca Cola, Mary Engelbreit, Thomas Mangelson,
B&O Museum, Jim Shore and Lynn Bywaters.
Springbok stands strong as the oldest and most respected brand name of puzzle
on the market today.
Springbok stands strong as the oldest and most respected brand name of puzzle
on the market today.
Precision-made interlocking pieces that are ISO:9001 2015
compliant.
Vibrant lithography.
Every piece in the puzzle die is an individual-shaped cut.
Springbok puzzles are a collector's item.
Springbok releases 20-25 new images a year.
Springbok is the oldest and most respected brand name puzzle
manufactured in the United States.
The Springbok Puzzles Difference
Springbok has been a leading name in the puzzle world since 1963. Since Allied
Products has taken on the challenge of upholding this world-famous name, we
have focused on the qualities that give Springbok its reputation: originality,
innovation, and superior quality.
As one of the few puzzle manufacturers that makes puzzles exclusively in the
U.S.A., we take pride in the superior quality of our puzzles. The quality of
our dies and above average thickness of our chipboards ensures the interlocking
pieces will come together flawlessly multiple times.
As one of the only puzzle manufacturers to own patented puzzle dies, our
products are always original. Whether it's our 400 piece Family Puzzles, or one
of our stunning landscapes, no two puzzles, or pieces, are alike. Producing
only 25 new puzzles a year is one of the ways we guarantee that our new puzzles
do not fall short of the exacting Springbok standards.
Each piece in a Springbok puzzle is unique - no two are
alike
Springbok puzzle pieces are 18% thicker than average jigsaw
puzzles
Precision made interlocking pieces
Our lithographs are printed on an acid-free paper with an
aqueous coating for a high gloss finish to ensure superior image quality
Springbok is committed to the environment - we use 100%
recycled material and only vegetable or soy based inks
100% customer satisfaction guarantee
Springbok puzzles are proudly made in the U.S.A.
Springbok is rated by consumers as the #1 puzzle brand for
quality and design
For all of these reasons and more, Springbok puzzles have an uncanny ability to
convert one time customers into loyal "Bokers". Try one of our
puzzles and find out for yourself!
Environmental Commitment
At Springbok, we share our customers' respect for the environment. We are
committed to creating high quality products while using the most current
standards of sustainable manufacturing. We are constantly striving to reduce
our environmental footprint by reevaluating our manufacturing processes, the
shipping materials we use and the production of our puzzle boxes and retailer
catalogs.
All of the puzzles we manufacture feature these environmentally friendly
practices:
The Chipboard in our packaging and puzzles is made from the
highest quality 100% recycled materials with 80-90% post consumer waste.
All of our inks are 100% vegetable / soy based with no
petroleum additives.
We use only acid free paper for our high quality
lithographs.
All of our products are made in the United States of
America.
Springbok is proud of our contributions, and we pledge to continue operating in
a manner that not only supports, but also sustains the environment.
Springbok Puzzles
In 1963, Springbok Editions was founded by Robert and Katie Lewin. Their jigsaw
puzzles revolutionized the industry in the United States. Inspired by
Waddington circular puzzles, that Robert bought in London as gifts for their
children, the Lewins with some assistance from Waddington, founded Springbok
Editions and began producing die-cut puzzles in the United States. Mrs. Lewin
drew the designs for cutting dies herself, making each puzzle unique in
pattern.
Springbok Editions' circular and octagonal puzzles became vastly popular and
earned the reputation of catering to die-hard puzzlers. From inception,
Springbok puzzles have been known for high quality pieces that interlock and
state-of-the-art lithography. The Lewins searched museums worldwide and
produced puzzles that reflected their passion for nature in addition to
commissioning well known artists of the time to paint special designs, making
the puzzles true collector's items. In 1963, Springbok Editions puzzles
retailed for $3.50 when the industry average retail price for a jigsaw puzzle
was less than $1.00.
The success of Springbok Editions led to an offer and eventual acquisition by
Hallmark Cards, Inc., headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1967. From
1967 to 2001, Hallmark manufactured Springbok puzzles and sold them exclusively
in Hallmark stores in the United States and Canada.
In 2002, Hallmark Cards made the decision to discontinue the manufacture of
their 34 year old line, Springbok Puzzles. The successful puzzle line's devoted
following embarked upon a letter writing campaign urging Hallmark to continue
production and the integrity of the product line. Allied Products
acquired the specific machinery and technical expertise necessary to maintain
the high quality standards the devoted Springbok puzzlers demanded.
Since Allied and Hallmark's agreement in 2002, Allied has obtained licensing
agreements with the following artists and brands for designs and graphics to
expand the Springbok line; Coca Cola, Mary Engelbreit, Thomas Mangelson,
B&O Museum, Jim Shore and Lynn Bywaters.
Springbok stands strong as the oldest and most respected brand name of puzzle
on the market today.
Springbok stands strong as the oldest and most respected brand name of puzzle
on the market today.
Precision-made interlocking pieces that are ISO:9001 2015
compliant.
Vibrant lithography.
Every piece in the puzzle die is an individual-shaped cut.
Springbok puzzles are a collector's item.
Springbok releases 20-25 new images a year.
Springbok is the oldest and most respected brand name puzzle
manufactured in the United States.
The Springbok Puzzles Difference
Springbok has been a leading name in the puzzle world since 1963. Since Allied
Products has taken on the challenge of upholding this world-famous name, we
have focused on the qualities that give Springbok its reputation: originality,
innovation, and superior quality.
As one of the few puzzle manufacturers that makes puzzles exclusively in the
U.S.A., we take pride in the superior quality of our puzzles. The quality of
our dies and above average thickness of our chipboards ensures the interlocking
pieces will come together flawlessly multiple times.
As one of the only puzzle manufacturers to own patented puzzle dies, our
products are always original. Whether it's our 400 piece Family Puzzles, or one
of our stunning landscapes, no two puzzles, or pieces, are alike. Producing
only 25 new puzzles a year is one of the ways we guarantee that our new puzzles
do not fall short of the exacting Springbok standards.
Each piece in a Springbok puzzle is unique - no two are
alike
Springbok puzzle pieces are 18% thicker than average jigsaw
puzzles
Precision made interlocking pieces
Our lithographs are printed on an acid-free paper with an
aqueous coating for a high gloss finish to ensure superior image quality
Springbok is committed to the environment - we use 100%
recycled material and only vegetable or soy based inks
100% customer satisfaction guarantee
Springbok puzzles are proudly made in the U.S.A.
Springbok is rated by consumers as the #1 puzzle brand for
quality and design
For all of these reasons and more, Springbok puzzles have an uncanny ability to
convert one time customers into loyal "Bokers". Try one of our
puzzles and find out for yourself!
Environmental Commitment
At Springbok, we share our customers' respect for the environment. We are
committed to creating high quality products while using the most current
standards of sustainable manufacturing. We are constantly striving to reduce
our environmental footprint by reevaluating our manufacturing processes, the
shipping materials we use and the production of our puzzle boxes and retailer
catalogs.
All of the puzzles we manufacture feature these environmentally friendly
practices:
The Chipboard in our packaging and puzzles is made from the
highest quality 100% recycled materials with 80-90% post consumer waste.
All of our inks are 100% vegetable / soy based with no
petroleum additives.
We use only acid free paper for our high quality
lithographs.
All of our products are made in the United States of
America.
Springbok is proud of our contributions, and we pledge to continue operating in
a manner that not only supports, but also sustains the environment.""
Springbok Puzzles History
"I take my pieces of yesterday and put them into my puzzle of
tomorrow."
In 1963, Springbok Editions was founded by Robert and Katie Lewin. Their jigsaw
puzzles revolutionized the industry in the United States. Inspired by
Waddington circular puzzles, that Robert bought in London as gifts for their
children, the Lewins with some assistance from Waddington, founded Springbok
Editions and began producing die-cut puzzles in the United States.
Springbok Editions' circular and octagonal puzzles became vastly popular and
earned the reputation of catering to die-hard puzzlers. From inception,
Springbok puzzles have been known for high quality pieces that interlock and
state-of-the-art lithography. The Lewins searched museums worldwide and
produced puzzles that reflected their passion for nature in addition to
commissioning well known artists of the time to paint special designs, making
the puzzles true collector's items. In 1963, Springbok Editions puzzles
retailed for $3.50 when the industry average retail price for a jigsaw puzzle
was less than $1.00.
The success of Springbok Editions led to an offer and eventual acquisition by
Hallmark Cards, Inc., headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1967. From
1967 to 2001, Hallmark manufactured Springbok puzzles and sold them exclusively
in Hallmark stores in the United States and Canada.
In 2002, Hallmark Cards made the decision to discontinue the manufacture of
their 34 year old line, Springbok Puzzles. The successful puzzle line's devoted
following embarked upon a letter writing campaign urging Hallmark to continue
production and the integrity of the product line. Hallmark decided to enter
into a long-term relationship with Allied Products Inc. When Allied Products
acquired the rights to the Springbok product line, Allied had no prior die
cutting or laminating experience. Allied Products acquired the specific
machinery and technical expertise necessary to maintain the high quality
standards the devoted Springbok puzzlers demanded.
Since Allied and Hallmark's agreement in 2002, Allied has obtained licensing
agreements with the following artists and brands for designs and graphics to
expand the Springbok line; Coca Cola, Mary Engelbreit, Thomas Mangelson,
B&O Museum, Jim Shore and Lynn Bywaters.
Springbok stands strong as the oldest and most respected brand name of puzzle
on the market today.
Here are some facts that make us stand apart in the industry:
Precision made interlocking pieces that allow our puzzles to
be lifted without falling apart.
Vibrant lithography.
Every piece in the puzzle die is an individual shaped cut.
Springbok is a collector's item.
Retailer's report an 85-100% sell through!
Springbok releases 20-25 new images a year.
Springbok is the oldest and most respected brand name puzzle
manufactured in the United States." (wikipedia.org)
"The
red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) is a small or medium-sized
woodpecker from temperate North America. Their breeding habitat is open country
across southern Canada and the eastern-central United States. It is rated as
least concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s
Red List of Endangered species, having been downlisted from near threatened in
2018.[2]
The red-bellied woodpecker also has its most prominent red part of its plumage
on the head, but it looks quite different in other respects....
Taxonomy
At a bird feeder
The English naturalist Mark Catesby described and illustrated the red-headed
woodpecker in his book The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama
Islands which was published between 1729 and 1732. Catesby used the English
name "The Red-headed Wood-pecker" and the Latin Picus capite toto
rubro.[3] When in 1758 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema
Naturae for the tenth edition, he included the red-headed woodpecker, coined
the binomial name Picus erythrocephalus and cited Catesby's book.[4] The
specific epithet combines the Classical Greek ἐρυθρός, eruthros meaning
"red" and κεφαλή,
kephalos meaning "headed".[5] The type locality is South Carolina.[6]
The red-headed woodpecker is one of 24 species now placed in the genus
Melanerpes that was introduced by the English ornithologist William John
Swainson in 1832 specifically to accommodate the red-headed woodpecker.[7][8]
The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.[8]
Description
Adults are strikingly tri-colored, with a black back and tail and a red head
and neck. Their underparts are mainly white. The wings are black with white
secondary remiges. Adult males and females are identical in plumage.[9]
Juveniles have very similar markings, but have an all grey head.[9] While
red-bellied woodpeckers have some bright red on the backs of their necks and
heads, red-headed woodpeckers have a much deeper red that covers their entire
heads and necks, as well as a dramatically different overall plumage pattern.
These are mid-sized woodpeckers. Both sexes measure from 19 to 25 cm (7.5 to
9.8 in) in length, with a wingspan of 42.5 cm (16.7 in).[10][11] They weigh
from 56 to 97 g (2.0 to 3.4 oz) with an average of 76 g (2.7 oz).[12] Each wing
measures 12.7–15 cm (5.0–5.9 in), the tail measures 6.6–8.5 cm (2.6–3.3 in),
the bill measures 2.1–3 cm (0.83–1.18 in) and the tarsus measures 1.9–2.5 cm
(0.75–0.98 in).[13] The maximum longevity in the wild is 9.9 years.[12]
They give a tchur-tchur call or drum on their territory.
Behavior
These birds fly to catch insects in the air or on the ground, forage on trees
or gather and store nuts. They are omnivorous, eating insects, seeds, fruits,
berries, nuts, and occasionally small rodents and even the eggs of other
birds.[9] About two thirds of their diet is made up of plants.[9] They nest in
a cavity in a dead tree, utility pole, or a dead part of a tree that is between
2.45 and 24.5 m (8.0 and 80.4 ft) above the ground.[9] They lay 4 to 7 eggs in
early May which are incubated for two weeks.[9] Two broods can be raised in a
single nesting season.[9] Northern birds migrate to the southern parts of the
range, with most having arrived on the breeding range by late April, and having
left for winter quarters by late October;[14][15] southern birds are often
permanent residents.
Conservation
The red-headed woodpecker is rated as least concern on the International Union
for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Red List of Endangered species. It was
formerly rated as near threatened, having been reclassified from Least Concern
in 2004 after it appeared to have experienced a 65.5% decline in population
over 40 years;[1] from 1966-2015 there was a greater than 1.5% annual
population decline throughout the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys, and in
central Florida.[16] Increased habitat management, however, has caused its
numbers to stabilize, thus leading to its downlisting.[2]
The red-headed woodpecker was historically a common species in southern Canada
and the east-central United States. Consistent long-term population declines
have resulted in red-headed woodpecker's threatened status in Canada and
several states in the US. Throughout most of its range it inhabits areas that
have been heavily altered by humans. Factors suggested for red-headed
woodpecker declines include: loss of overall habitat and, within habitats,
standing dead wood required for nest sites,[17] limitations of food supply,[18]
and possible nest-site competition with other cavity nesters such as European
starlings or red-bellied woodpeckers.[19][20]
Of the 600 Canadian Important Bird Areas only seven report the red-headed woodpecker
in their area: Cabot Head, Ontario on the Georgian Bay side of the tip of Bruce
Peninsula; Carden Plain, Ontario east of Lake Simcoe; Long Point Peninsula and
Marshes, Ontario along Lake Erie near London, Ontario; Point Abino, Ontario on
Lake Erie near Niagara Falls; Port Franks Forested Dunes, Ontario northeast of
Sarnia on Lake Huron; Kinosota/Leifur, Manitoba at the northwest side of Lake
Manitoba south of The Narrows and east of Riding Mountain National Park; and
along South Saskatchewan River from Empress, Alberta to Lancer Ferry in
Saskatchewan.[21]
Popular culture
In 1996, the United States Postal Service issued a 2-cent postage stamp
depicting a perched red-headed woodpecker.[22] The stamp was discontinued at
some time thereafter, but re-issued in 1999 and remained available for purchase
until 2006." (wikipedia.org)
"Woodpeckers
are part of the family Picidae, that also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and
sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia,
New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions. Most
species live in forests or woodland habitats, although a few species are known
that live in treeless areas, such as rocky hillsides and deserts, and the Gila
woodpecker specialises in exploiting cacti.
Members of this family are chiefly known for their characteristic behaviour.
They mostly forage for insect prey on the trunks and branches of trees, and
often communicate by drumming with their beak, producing a reverberatory sound
that can be heard at some distance. Some species vary their diet with fruits,
birds' eggs, small animals, tree sap, human scraps, and carrion. They mostly
nest and roost in holes that they excavate in tree trunks, and their abandoned
holes are of importance to other cavity-nesting birds. They sometimes come into
conflict with humans when they make holes in buildings or feed on fruit crops,
but perform a useful service by their removal of insect pests on trees.
The Picidae are one of nine living families in the order Piciformes, the others
being barbets (comprising three families), toucans, toucan-barbets, and
honeyguides which (along with woodpeckers) comprise the clade Pici, and the
jacamars and puffbirds in the clade Galbuli. DNA sequencing has confirmed the
sister relationships of these two groups. The family Picidae includes about 240
species arranged in 35 genera. Almost 20 species are threatened with extinction
due to loss of habitat or habitat fragmentation, with one, the Bermuda flicker,
being extinct and a further two possibly being so....
General
characteristics
A black-rumped flameback using its tail for support
Woodpeckers range from tiny piculets measuring no more than 7 cm (2.8 in) in
length and weighing 7 g (0.25 oz) to large woodpeckers which can be more than
50 cm (20 in) in length. The largest surviving species is the great slaty
woodpecker, which weighs 360–563 g (12.7–19.9 oz), but the extinct imperial
woodpecker and ivory-billed woodpecker were probably both larger.[1]
The plumage of woodpeckers varies from drab to conspicuous. The colours of many
species are based on olive and brown and some are pied, suggesting a need for
camouflage; others are boldly patterned in black, white and red, and many have
a crest or tufted feathers on the crown. Woodpeckers tend to be sexually
dimorphic, but differences between the sexes are generally small; exceptions to
this are Williamson's sapsucker and the orange-backed woodpecker, which differ
markedly. The plumage is moulted fully once a year apart from the wrynecks,
which have an additional partial moult before breeding.[2]
Woodpeckers, piculets and wrynecks all possess characteristic zygodactyl feet,
consisting of four toes, the first (hallux) and the fourth facing backward and
the second and third facing forward. This foot arrangement is good for grasping
the limbs and trunks of trees. Members of this family can walk vertically up
tree trunks, which is beneficial for activities such as foraging for food or
nest excavation. In addition to their strong claws and feet, woodpeckers have
short, strong legs. This is typical of birds that regularly forage on trunks.
Exceptions are the black-backed woodpecker and the American and Eurasian
three-toed woodpeckers, which have only three toes on each foot. The tails of
all woodpeckers, except the piculets and wrynecks, are stiffened, and when the
bird perches on a vertical surface, the tail and feet work together to support
it.[1]
Woodpeckers have strong bills that they use for drilling and drumming on trees,
and long sticky tongues for extracting food (insects and larvae).[1] Woodpecker
bills are typically longer, sharper and stronger than the bills of piculets and
wrynecks; however, their morphology is very similar. The bill's chisel-like tip
is kept sharp by the pecking action in birds that regularly use it on wood. The
beak consists of three layers; an outer sheath called rhamphotheca, made of
scales formed from keratin proteins, an inner layer of bone which has a large
cavity and mineralised collagen fibers, and a middle layer made of porous bone
which connects the two other layers. Furthermore, the tongue-bone (or hyoid
bone) of the woodpecker is very long, and winds around the skull through a
special cavity, thereby cushioning the brain.[3] Combined, this anatomy helps the
beak absorb mechanical stress.[4] Species of woodpecker and flicker that use
their bills in soil or for probing as opposed to regular hammering tend to have
longer and more decurved bills. Due to their smaller bill size, many piculets
and wrynecks will forage in decaying wood more often than woodpeckers. Their
long sticky tongues, which possess bristles, aid these birds in grabbing and
extracting insects from deep within a hole in a tree. It has been reported that
the tongue was used to spear grubs, but more detailed studies published in 2004
have shown that the tongue instead wraps around the prey before being pulled
out.[5]
Diagram showing the hyoid bone of Dendrocopos major
Many of the foraging, breeding and signaling behaviors of woodpeckers involve drumming
and hammering using the bill.[6] To prevent brain damage from the rapid and
repeated powerful impacts, woodpeckers have a number of physical features which
protect the brain.[7] These include a relatively small and smooth brain, narrow
subdural space, little cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) surrounding it to prevent it
from moving back and forth inside the skull during pecking, the orientation of
the brain within the skull (which maximises the contact area between the brain
and the skull) and the short duration of contact. The skull consists of strong
but compressible sponge-like bone which is most concentrated in the forehead
and the back of the skull.[7] Another anatomical adaptation of woodpeckers is
the enormously elongated hyoid bone which subdivides, passes on either side of
the spinal column and wraps around the brain case, before ending in the right
nostril cavity. It plays the role of safety-belt.[8]
Computer simulations have shown that 99.7 percent of the energy generated in
pecking is stored in the form of strain energy, which is distributed throughout
the bird's body, with only a small remaining fraction of the energy going into
the brain. The pecking also causes the woodpecker's skull to heat up, which is
part of the reason why they often peck in short bursts with brief breaks in
between, giving the head some time to cool.[9] During the millisecond before
contact with wood, a thickened nictitating membrane closes, protecting the eye
from flying debris.[10] These membranes also prevent the retina from tearing.
The nostrils are also protected; they are often slit-like and have special
feathers to cover them. Woodpeckers are capable of repeated pecking on a tree
at high decelerations in the order of 10,000 m/s2 (33,000 ft/s2) (1000 g).[11]
Some large woodpeckers such as Dryocopus have a fast, direct form of flight,
but the majority of species have a typical undulating flight pattern consisting
of a series of rapid flaps followed by a swooping glide. Many birds in the
genus Melanerpes have distinctive, rowing wing-strokes while the piculets
engage in short bursts of rapid direct flight.[12]
Distribution, habitat and movements
Use of cacti for breeding and roosting holes allows some woodpeckers to live in
treeless deserts, like the ladder-backed woodpecker which uses cacti for
nesting.
See also: List of Piciformes by population
Global distribution
Woodpeckers have a mostly cosmopolitan distribution, although they are absent
from Australasia, Madagascar, and Antarctica. They are also absent from some of
the world's oceanic islands, although many insular species are found on
continental islands. The true woodpeckers, subfamily Picinae, are distributed
across the entire range of the family. The Picumninae piculets have a
pantropical distribution, with species in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the
Neotropics, with the greatest diversity being in South America. The second
piculet subfamily, Nesoctitinae, has a single member, the Antillean piculet,
which is restricted to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. The wrynecks
(Jynginae) are found exclusively in the Old World, with the two species
occurring in Europe, Asia, and Africa.[13]
The majority of woodpeckers are sedentary but there are a few examples of
migratory species such as the rufous-bellied woodpecker and yellow-bellied
sapsucker,[13] and the Eurasian wryneck breeds in Europe and west Asia and
migrates to the Sahel in Africa in the winter.[14] More northerly populations
of Lewis's woodpecker, northern flicker, Williamson's sapsucker, red-breasted
sapsucker and red-naped sapsucker all move southwards in the fall in North
America.[13] Most woodpecker movements can be described as dispersive, such as
when young birds seek territories after fledging, or eruptive, to escape harsh
weather conditions. Several species are altitudinal migrants, for example the
grey-capped woodpecker, which moves to lowlands from hills during the winter
months. The woodpeckers that do migrate do so during the day.[1]
Habitat requirements
Overall, woodpeckers are arboreal birds of wooded habitats. They reach their
greatest diversity in tropical rainforests, but occur in almost all suitable
habitats including woodlands, savannahs, scrublands, and bamboo forests. Even
grasslands and deserts have been colonised by various species. These habitats
are more easily occupied where a small number of trees exist, or, in the case
of desert species like the Gila woodpecker, tall cacti are available for
nesting.[15] Some are specialists and are associated with coniferous or
deciduous woodland or even, like the acorn woodpecker, with individual tree
genera (oaks in this case). Other species are generalists and are able to adapt
to forest clearance by exploiting secondary growth, plantations, orchards and
parks. In general, forest-dwelling species need rotting or dead wood on which
to forage.[16]
A number of species are adapted to spending a portion of their time feeding on
the ground, and a very small minority have abandoned trees entirely and nest in
holes in the ground. The ground woodpecker is one such species, inhabiting the
rocky and grassy hills of South Africa,[17] and the Andean flicker is
another.[16]
The Swiss Ornithological Institute has set up a monitoring program to record
breeding populations of woodland birds. This has shown that deadwood is an
important habitat requirement for the black woodpecker, great spotted
woodpecker, middle spotted woodpecker, lesser spotted woodpecker, European
green woodpecker and Eurasian three-toed woodpecker. Populations of all these
species increased by varying amounts in the period 1990 to 2008. During this
period, the amount of deadwood in the forest increased and the range of the
white-backed woodpecker enlarged as it extended eastwards. With the exception
of the green and middle spotted woodpeckers, the increase in the amount of
deadwood is likely to be the major factor explaining the population increase of
these species.[18]
Behaviour
Woodpecker
Menu
0:00
A woodpecker pecking into a tree
Problems playing this file? See media help.
The majority of woodpeckers live solitary lives, but the spectrum of behaviour
ranges from highly antisocial species that are aggressive towards their own
kind, to species that live in groups. Solitary species will defend such feeding
resources as a termite colony or fruit laden tree, driving away other
conspecifics and returning frequently until the resource is exhausted.
Aggressive behaviours include bill-pointing and jabbing, head shaking, wing
flicking, chasing, drumming and vocalisations. Ritual actions do not usually result
in contact and birds may "freeze" for a while before they resume
their dispute. The coloured patches may be flouted, and in some instances,
these antagonistic behaviours resemble courtship rituals.[19]
Group-living species tend to be communal group breeders.[19] In addition to
these species, a number of species may join mixed-species foraging flocks with
other insectivorous birds, although they tend to stay at the edges of these
groups. Joining these flocks allows woodpeckers to decrease their anti-predator
vigilance and increase their feeding rate.[20] Woodpeckers are diurnal,
roosting at night inside holes and crevices. In many species the roost will
become the nest-site during the breeding season, but in some species they have
separate functions; the grey-and-buff woodpecker makes several shallow holes
for roosting which are quite distinct from its nesting site. Most birds roost
alone and will oust intruders from their chosen site, but the Magellanic
woodpecker and acorn woodpecker are cooperative roosters.[19]
Drumming
Drumming is a form of non-vocal communication used by most species of
woodpecker and involves the bill being repeatedly struck on a hard surface with
great rapidity. After a pause, the drum roll is repeated, each species having a
pattern which is unique in the number of beats in the roll, the length of the
roll, the length of the gap between rolls and the cadence. The drumming is
mainly a territorial call, equivalent to the song of a passerine, with male
birds drumming more frequently than females.[21] Woodpeckers choose a surface
that resonates, such as a hollow tree, and may use man-made structures such as
gutters and downpipes.[22] Drumming serves for the mutual recognition of
conspecifics and plays a part in courtship rituals. Individual birds are
thought to be able to distinguish the drumming of their mates and that of their
neighbours.[23]
Calls
Woodpeckers do not have such a wide range of songs and calls as do passerine
birds, and the sounds they make tend to be simpler in structure. Calls produced
include brief high-pitched notes, trills, rattles, twittering, whistling,
chattering, nasal churrs, screams and wails. These calls are used by both sexes
in communication and are related to the circumstances of the occasion; these include
courtship, territorial disputes and alarm calls. Each species has its own range
of calls, which tend to be in the 1 to 2.5 kHz range for efficient transmission
through forested environments. Mated couples may exchange muted, low-pitched
calls, and nestlings often issue noisy begging-calls from inside their nest
cavity.[21] The wrynecks have a more musical song and in some areas, the song
of the newly arrived Eurasian wryneck is considered to be the harbinger of
spring.[24] The piculets either have a song consisting of a long descending
trill, or a descending series of two to six (sometimes more) individual notes,
and this song alerts ornithologists to the presence of the birds, as they are
easily overlooked.[25]
Diet and feeding
Holes bored by feeding woodpeckers
The majority of woodpecker species feed on insects and other invertebrates
living under bark and in wood, but overall the family is characterized by its
dietary flexibility, with many species being both highly omnivorous and
opportunistic. The diet includes ants, termites, beetles and their larvae,
caterpillars, spiders, other arthropods, bird eggs, nestlings, small rodents,
lizards, fruit, nuts and sap. Many insects and their grubs are taken from
living and dead trees by excavation. The bird may hear sounds from inside the
timber indicating where it will be productive to create a hole.[19]
Crustaceans, molluscs and carrion may be eaten by some species including the
great spotted woodpecker, and bird feeders are visited for suet and domestic
scraps.[26]
Other means are also used to garner prey. Some species, such as the red-naped
sapsucker, sally into the air to catch flying insects, and many species probe
into crevices and under bark, or glean prey from leaves and twigs. The rufous
woodpecker specialises in attacking the nests of arboreal ants and the
buff-spotted woodpecker feeds on and nests in termite mounds. Other species
such as the wrynecks and the Andean flicker feed wholly or partly on the
ground.[19]
Ecologically, woodpeckers help to keep trees healthy by keeping them from
suffering mass infestations. The family is noted for its ability to acquire
wood-boring grubs from the trunks and branches, whether the timber is alive or
dead. Having hammered a hole into the wood, the prey is extracted by use of a
long, barbed tongue. Woodpeckers consume beetles that burrow into trees,
removing as many as 85 percent of emerald ash borer larvae from individual ash
trees.[27]
The ability to excavate allows woodpeckers to obtain tree sap, an important source
of food for some species. Most famously, the sapsuckers (genus Sphyrapicus)
feed in this fashion, but the technique is not restricted to these, and others
such as the acorn woodpecker and white-headed woodpecker also feed on sap. It
was once thought that the technique was restricted to the New World, but Old
World species, such as the Arabian woodpecker and great spotted woodpecker,
also feed in this way.[1]
Breeding
A male black woodpecker attending its chicks
All members of the family Picidae nest in cavities, nearly always in the trunks
and branches of trees, well away from the foliage. Where possible, an area of
rotten wood surrounded by sound timber is used. Where trees are in short
supply, the gilded flicker and ladder-backed woodpecker excavate holes in
cactus and the Andean flicker and ground woodpecker dig holes in earth banks.
The campo flicker sometimes chooses termite mounds, the rufous woodpecker
prefers to use ants nests in trees and the bamboo woodpecker specialises in
bamboos.[28] Woodpeckers also excavate nest holes in residential and commercial
structures as well as wooden utility poles.[27]
Woodpeckers and piculets will excavate their own nests, but wrynecks will not,
and need to find pre-existing cavities. A typical nest has a round entrance
hole that just fits the bird, leading to an enlarged vertical chamber below. No
nesting material is used, apart from some wood chips produced during the
excavation; other wood chips are liberally scattered on the ground providing
visual evidence of the site of the nest.[29] Many species of woodpeckers
excavate one hole per breeding season, sometimes after multiple attempts. It
takes around a month to finish the job and abandoned holes are used by other
birds and mammals that are cavity nesters unable to excavate their own
holes.[30]
Cavities are in great demand for nesting by other cavity nesters, so
woodpeckers face competition for the nesting sites they excavate from the
moment the hole becomes usable. This may come from other species of woodpecker,
or other cavity nesting birds like swallows and starlings. Woodpeckers may
aggressively harass potential competitors, and also use other strategies to
reduce the chance of being usurped from their nesting site; for example the
red-crowned woodpecker digs its nest in the underside of a small branch, which
reduces the chance that a larger species will take it over and expand it.[31]
Members of Picidae are typically monogamous, with a few species breeding
cooperatively and some polygamy reported in a few species.[32] Polyandry, where
a female raises two broods with two separate males, has also been reported in
the West Indian woodpecker.[33] Another unusual social system is that of the
acorn woodpecker, which is a polygynandrous cooperative breeder where groups of
up to 12 individuals breed and help to raise the young.[1] Young birds from
previous years may stay behind to help raise the group's young, and studies
have found reproductive success for the group goes up with group size, but
individual success goes down. Birds may be forced to remain in groups due to a
lack of habitat to disperse to.[34]
A pair will work together to help build the nest, incubate the eggs and raise
their altricial young. However, in most species the male does most of the nest
excavation and takes the night shift while incubating the eggs. A clutch will
usually consist of two to five round white eggs. Since these birds are cavity
nesters, their eggs do not need to be camouflaged and the white color helps the
parents to see them in dim light. The eggs are incubated for about 11–14 days
before they hatch. It then takes about 18–30 days before the chicks are fully
fledged and ready to leave the nest. In most species, soon after this the young
are left to fend for themselves, exceptions being the various social species,
and the Hispaniolan woodpecker, where adults continue to feed their young for
several months. In general, cavity nesting is a successful strategy and a
higher proportion of young are reared than is the case with birds that nest in
the open. In Africa, several species of honeyguide are brood parasites of
woodpeckers.[29]
Systematics and evolution
The Picidae are just one of nine living families in the order Piciformes. Other
members of this group, such as the jacamars, puffbirds, barbets, toucans, and
honeyguides, have traditionally been thought to be closely related to the
woodpecker family (true woodpeckers, piculets, wrynecks and sapsuckers). The
clade Pici (woodpeckers, barbets, toucans, and honeyguides) is well supported
and shares a zygodactyl foot with the Galbuli (puffbirds and jacamars). More
recently, several DNA sequence analyses have confirmed that Pici and Galbuli
are sister groups.[35]
The name Picidae for the family was introduced by the English zoologist William
Elford Leach in a guide to the contents of the British Museum published in
1820.[36][37] The phylogeny has been updated according to new knowledge about
convergence patterns and evolutionary history.[38][39] Most notably, the
relationship of the picine genera has been largely clarified, and it was
determined that the Antillean piculet is a surviving offshoot of
proto-woodpeckers. Genetic analysis supports the monophyly of Picidae, which
seems to have originated in the Old World, but the geographic origins of the
Picinae is unclear. The Picumninae is returned as paraphyletic.[38]
Morphological and behavioural characters, in addition to DNA evidence
highlights genus Hemicircus as the sister group of all remaining true
woodpeckers, besides a sister-group relationship between the true woodpecker
tribes Dendropicini and Malarpicini.[40]
The evolutionary history of this group is not well documented, but the known
fossils allow some preliminary conclusions: the earliest known modern picids
were piculet-like forms of the Late Oligocene, about 25 million years ago
(mya). By that time, however, the group was already present in the Americas and
Europe, and it is hypothesized that they actually evolved much earlier, maybe
as early as the Early Eocene (50 mya). The modern subfamilies appear to be
rather young by comparison; until the mid-Miocene (10–15 mya), all picids seem
to have been small or mid-sized birds similar to a mixture between a piculet
and a wryneck. On the other hand, there exists a feather enclosed in fossil
amber from the Dominican Republic, dated to about 25 mya, which seems to
indicate that the Nesoctitinae were already a distinct lineage by then.[41]
Stepwise adaptations for drilling, tapping and climbing head first on vertical
surfaces have been suggested.[40] The last common ancestor of woodpeckers
(Picidae) was incapable of climbing up tree trunks or excavating nest cavities
by drilling with its beak. The first adaptations for drilling (including
reinforced rhamphotheca, frontal overhang and processus dorsalis pterygoidei)
evolved in the ancestral lineage of piculets and true woodpeckers. Additional
adaptations for drilling and tapping (enlarged condylus lateralis of the
quadrate and fused lower mandible) have evolved in the ancestral lineage of true
woodpeckers (Hemicircus excepting). The inner rectrix pairs became stiffened,
and the pygostyle lamina was enlarged in the ancestral lineage of true
woodpeckers (Hemicircus included), which facilitated climbing head first up
tree limbs. Genus Hemicircus excepting, the tail feathers were further
transformed for specialized support, the pygostyle disc became greatly
enlarged, and the ectropodactyl toe arrangement evolved. These latter
characters may have facilitated enormous increases in body size in some
lineages.[40]
Prehistoric representatives of the extant Picidae genera are treated in the
genus articles. An enigmatic form based on a coracoid found in Pliocene
deposits of New Providence in the Bahamas, has been described as Bathoceleus
hyphalus and probably also is a woodpecker.[42]
List of genera
Ochre-collared piculet
(Picumnus temminckii)
Red-crowned woodpecker
Melanerpes rubricapillus rubricapillus
female, Tobago
The phylogeny of woodpeckers is still being refined and the positions of some
genera continue to be unclear and there are conflicting findings from analyses
as of 2016.[43][44] For more detail, see list of woodpecker species.
Cuban green woodpecker
Xiphidiopicus percussus
female, Cuba
Campo flicker
Colaptes campestris
female, Brazil
Family: Picidae
Subfamily: Jynginae – wrynecks
Jynx (2 species)
Subfamily: Picumninae – piculets[45]
Picumnus – piculets (26 species)
Sasia – Asian piculets (3 species)
Subfamily: Picinae – true woodpeckers
Tribe Nesoctitini
Nesoctites –
monotypic: Antillean piculet
Tribe Hemicircini
Hemicircus –
2 species
Tribe Picini
Micropternus
– monotypic: rufous woodpecker
Meiglyptes –
3 species
Gecinulus –
3 species
Dinopium – 5
species (flamebacks)
Picus – 13
species
Chrysophlegma – 3 species
Pardipicus –
2 species
Geocolaptes
– monotypic: ground woodpecker
Campethera –
11 species
Mulleripicus
– 3 species
Dryocopus –
6 species
Celeus – 13
species
Piculus – 7
species
Colaptes –
14 species
Tribe Campephilini
Campephilus
– 11 species
Blythipicus –
2 species
Reinwardtipicus – monotypic: orange-backed woodpecker
Chrysocolaptes – 8 species (flamebacks)
Tribe Melanerpini
Sphyrapicus
– 4 species (sapsuckers)
Melanerpes –
24 species
Picoides – 3
species
Yungipicus –
7 species
Leiopicus –
monotypic: yellow-crowned woodpecker
Dendrocoptes
– 3 species
Chloropicus
– 3 species
Dendropicos
– 12 species
Dendrocopos
– 12 species
Dryobates –
5 species
Leuconotopicus – 6 species
Veniliornis
– 14 species
Xiphidiopicus – monotypic: Cuban green woodpecker
Incertae sedis fossils
Genus: †Palaeopicus (Late Oligocene
of France)
†Picidae gen. et sp. indet. (Middle
Miocene of New Mexico, US)
†Picidae gen. et sp. indet. (Late
Miocene of Gargano Peninsula, Italy)
Genus: †Palaeonerpes (Ogallala Early
Pliocene of Hitchcock County, US) – possibly dendropicine
Genus: †Pliopicus (Early Pliocene of
Kansas, US) – possibly dendropicine
cf. Colaptes DMNH 1262 (Early
Pliocene of Ainsworth, US) – malarpicine?
Relationship with humans
In general, humans consider woodpeckers in a favourable light; they are viewed
as interesting birds and fascinating to watch as they drum or forage. However,
their activities are not universally appreciated.[46] Many woodpecker species
are known to excavate holes in buildings, fencing and utility poles, creating
health and/or safety issues for affected buildings and utility poles. Such
activity is very difficult to discourage and can be costly to repair.[47]
Woodpeckers also drum on various reverberatory structures on buildings such as
gutters, downspouts, chimneys, vents and aluminium sheeting.[48] Drumming is a
less-forceful type of pecking that serves to establish territory and attract
mates.[47] Houses with shingles or wooden boarding are also attractive as
possible nesting or roosting sites, especially when close to large trees or
woodland. Several exploratory holes may be made, especially at the junctions of
vertical boards or at the corners of tongue-and-groove boarding. The birds may
also drill holes in houses as they forage for insect larvae and pupae hidden
behind the woodwork.[48]
Woodpeckers sometimes cause problems when they raid fruit crops, but their
foraging activities are mostly beneficial as they control forest insect pests
such as the woodboring beetles that create galleries behind the bark and can
kill trees. They also eat ants, which may be tending sap-sucking pests such as
mealybugs, as is the case with the rufous woodpecker in coffee plantations in
India.[46] Woodpeckers can serve as indicator species, demonstrating the
quality of the habitat. Their hole-making abilities make their presence in an
area an important part of the ecosystem, because these cavities are used for
breeding and roosting by many bird species that are unable to excavate their
own holes, as well as being used by various mammals and invertebrates.[46]
The spongy bones of the woodpecker's skull and the flexibility of its beak,
both of which provide protection for the brain when drumming, have provided
inspiration to engineers; a black box needs to survive intact when a plane
falls from the sky, and modelling the black box with regard to a woodpecker's
anatomy has increased the resistance of this device to damage sixty-fold.[49]
The design of protective helmets is another field being influenced by the study
of woodpeckers.[49]
One of the accounts of the Founding of Rome, preserved in the work known as
Origo Gentis Romanae, refers to a legend of a woodpecker bringing food to the
boys Romulus and Remus during the time they were abandoned in the wild – thus
enabling them to survive and play their part in history.
Status and conservation
The ivory-billed woodpecker is classified as critically endangered by the
IUCN,[50] and some authorities believe it may already be extinct.
In a global survey of the risk of extinction faced by the various bird
families, woodpeckers were the only bird family to have significantly fewer
species at risk than would be expected.[51] Nevertheless, several woodpeckers
are under threat as their habitats are destroyed. Being woodland birds,
deforestation and clearance of land for agriculture and other purposes can
reduce populations dramatically. Some species adapt to living in plantations
and secondary growth, or to open countryside with forest remnants and scattered
trees, but some do not. A few species have even flourished when they have
adapted to man-made habitats. There are few conservation projects directed
primarily at woodpeckers, but they benefit whenever their habitat is
conserved.[46] The red-cockaded woodpecker has been the focus of much
conservation effort in the southeastern United States, with artificial cavities
being constructed in the longleaf pines they favour as nesting sites.[52]
Two species of woodpeckers in the Americas, the ivory-billed woodpecker and the
imperial woodpecker are classified as critically endangered, with some
authorities believing them extinct, though there have been possible but
disputed ongoing sightings of ivory-billed woodpeckers in the United States[53]
and a small population may survive in Cuba.[50] Another critically endangered
species is the Okinawa woodpecker from Japan, with a single declining
population of a few hundred birds. It is threatened by deforestation, golf
course, dam and helipad construction, road building and agricultural
development.[54]
Brain impact research
Anatomy
Woodpecker beak length relations to impact forces. Even beak lengths result in
the highest impact forces while uneven produce lower. Lower beak> Upper
beak, picture A shows the most optimal beak length.
Woodpeckers possess many sophisticated shock absorption mechanisms that help
protect itself from head injury. Micro-CT scans show that plate-like spongy
bone are in the skull with an uneven distribution, highly accumulated in the
forehead and occiput but not in other regions.[55] Along with the long
hyoid bone “safety belt” the woodpecker has uneven beak lengths which
drastically reduce strains when compared to equal length.[55][56] Models have
shown that pecking force is changed to stain energy and stored into the body at
around 99% absorption while 1% is in the head. The head also has many factors
that reduce strain to the brain and small portions of energy is dissipated into
the form of heat, therefore the pecks are always intermittent. [57]
Tau accumulation has been studied as its associated with chronic traumatic
encephalopathy or CTE, this has been studied and is brought up in sports where
the athlete suffers repeated concussions. Tau is important as it helps hold
together and stabilize brain neurons. Woodpeckers’ brains share similarities to
humans with CTE showing most build up in the frontal and temporal lobes of the
brain.[58] These accumulations are not known yet if they are pathological or
the result of behavioral changes. More research is being done on the subject
and the woodpecker is a suitable animal model to study.[58] The orientation of
the brain within the skull increases the area of contact when pecking to reduce
stress on the brain as well as their small size helps, given the acceleration
speeds.[59]
Mechanical properties
Straight line trajectory was theorized to be the reason why woodpeckers do not
injure themselves since centripetal forces were the cause of concussion, but it
is shown that they don’t always peck in straight lines, so they produce and
resist centripetal forces.[55] Lab test’s show that the woodpeckers cranial
bone produces a significantly higher Young’s modulus and ultimate strength
scores compared to other birds its size.[60] The cranial bone has a high bone
mineral density with plate like structures that are thick with high numbers of
trabeculae that are spaced closely together which all may lead to lower
deformation while pecking.
The jaw apparatus was studied looking into it cushioning effects. When
comparing the same impact to the beak and to the forehead, the forehead
experiences an impact force 1.72 times that of the beak, this is due to the
contact time being 3.25ms in the forehead and 4.9ms in the beak. This is
impulse momentum where impulse is the integral of force over time. The quadrate
bone and joints play an important role in extending impact time which decrease
impact load to brain tissue.[61]
Bio-inspired ideas
Beams
Bio-inspired honeycomb sandwich beams are inspired by the woodpecker’s design,
this beam’s goal is to withstand continuous impacts without the need of
replacement. The BHSB is composed of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, this is
to mimic the high strength beak. Next is a rubber layer core for the hyoid bone
for absorbing and spreading impact, a second core layer of aluminum honeycomb that
is porous and light like the woodpecker’s spongey bone for impact cushioning.
The final layer is the same as the first a CFRP to act as the skull bone.[62]
Bio-inspired honeycomb sandwich beams when compared to conventional beams
reduced area damage by 50-80% and carried 2.7-20 times lower stresses in the
bottom layer while having an impact resistance efficiency 1.65-16.22 times
higher." (wikipedia.org)
"Roger Tory Peterson (August 28, 1908 – July 28, 1996) was an American naturalist, ornithologist, illustrator and educator, held to be one of the founding inspirations for the 20th-century environmental movement....
Background
Peterson was born in Jamestown, New York on August 28, 1908. His father,
Charles Peterson, was an immigrant from Sweden, coming to America as an infant.
At the age of ten, C. Peterson lost his father to appendicitis, and he was sent
off to work in the mills. After leaving the mills, he earned his living as a
traveling salesman. Roger's mother, Henrietta Badar, was an immigrant from
Germany, at the age of four, growing up in Rochester, New York. She went to a
teachers' college, and was teaching in Elmira, New York, when she met Charles.
They married, and moved to Jamestown, a small, industrial city in south-west
New York, where C. Peterson took a job at a local furniture factory.[2]
Career
Peterson's first work on birds was an article "Notes from field and
study" in the magazine Bird-Lore, where he recorded anecdotally two sight
records from 1925, a Carolina wren and a titmouse.[2]
Inspiration from E. T. Seton's diagram of ducks (1903)
In 1934 he published his seminal Guide to the Birds, the first modern field
guide, which sold out its first printing of 2‚000 copies in one week, and
subsequently went through 6 editions. One of the inspirations for his field
guide was the diagram of ducks that Ernest Thompson Seton made in Two Little
Savages (1903).[3] He co-wrote Wild America with James Fisher, and edited or
wrote many of the volumes in the Peterson Field Guide series, on topics ranging
from rocks and minerals to beetles to reptiles. He developed the Peterson
Identification System, and is known for the clarity of both his illustrations
of field guides and his delineation of relevant field marks.[4][5]
Paul R. Ehrlich, in The Birder's Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History
of North American Birds (Fireside. 1988), said of Peterson:
In this century, no one has done more to promote an interest
in living creatures than Roger Tory Peterson, the inventor of the modern field
guide.[6]
Peterson was awarded the Linnaean Society of New York's Eisenmann Medal in
1986,[7] the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom[8] and the Order of
the Golden Ark of the Netherlands. In 1977, he was honored by selection by the
two Swedish District lodges of the Vasa Order of America to be Swedish-American
of the Year. He received nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize and honorary
doctorates from numerous American universities.[9]
He died in 1996 at his home in Old Lyme, Connecticut.[8] Peterson was cremated
following his death. A portion of his ashes were spread on and round Great
Island near Old Lyme,[10] and buried under grave memorials in the Duck River
Cemetery in Old Lyme, and in the Pine Hill Cemetery in Falconer, New York.[11]
The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History
Roger Tory Peterson Institute sign.
The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History in Jamestown, New York is
named in his honor.[12] In 2000, the American Birding Association established
the Roger Tory Peterson Award for Promoting the Cause of Birding.[13]
A biography, Birdwatcher: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson by Elizabeth
Rosenthal, was published in 2008, the centenary of Peterson's birth.[14]
See also
Ludlow Griscom Award
Publications
A Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North
America (Houghton Mifflin‚ fifth edition. 2002, earlier editions 1934‚ 1939‚
1941‚ 1947‚ 1980‚ 1994)
The Field Guide Art of Roger Tory Peterson (Easton Press,
1990. 2 volumes)
Save the Birds with Antony W. Diamond‚ Rudolf L. Schreiber‚
Walter Cronkite (Houghton Mifflin‚ 1987)
Peterson First Guide to Wildflowers of Northeastern and
North-central North America (Houghton Mifflin‚ 1986)
Peterson First Guide to Birds of North America (Houghton
Mifflin‚ 1986)
The Audubon Society Baby Elephant Folio with Virginia
Peterson (Abbeville Press‚ 1981)
Penguins (Houghton Mifflin‚ 1979)
Birds of America (National Audubon Society‚ 1978)
A Field Guide to Mexican Birds with Edward Chalif (Houghton
Mifflin, 1973, Spanish translation‚ Editorial Diana‚ 1989)
Roger Tory Peterson Institute.
A Field Guide to Wildflowers of Northeastern and
North-central North America (with Margaret McKenny). (Houghton Mifflin‚ 1968)
The World of Birds with James Fisher (Doubleday‚ 1964)
A Field Guide to the Birds of Texas and Adjacent States
(Houghton Mifflin‚ 1960, revised 1963)
A Bird-Watcher's Anthology (Harcourt Brace‚ 1957)
Wild America with James Fisher (Houghton Mifflin, 1955)
A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe with Guy
Mountfort, and P.A.D. Hollom (William Collins, 1954)
1965 edition: revised and enlarged
in collaboration with I.J. Ferguson-Lees and D.I.M. Wallace
1971 impression: ISBN 0-00-212020-8
2004 edition: ISBN 978-0-00-719234-2
Wildlife in Color (Houghton Mifflin‚ 1951)
How to Know the Birds (Houghton Mifflin‚ 1949)
Birds Over America (Dodd, Mead and Company‚ 1948, revised
1964)
A Field Guide to Western Birds (Houghton Mifflin‚ 1941,
revised 1961‚ 1990)
The Audubon Guide to Attracting Birds with John H. Baker
(National Audubon Society‚ 1941)" (wikipedia.org)