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A review of the woodpeckers (Aves: Piciformes) from the asphalt deposits of Rancho La Brea, California, with the description of three new species

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Abstract

A review of the piciform avifauna from the upper Pleistocene asphalt deposits of Rancho La Brea, Los Angeles, California, reveals that it comprises at least six species in five genera. We describe a new genus and species, Breacopus garretti, for the largest woodpecker, which was similar in size to the largest living North American species, Dryocopus pileatus. We recognise a new genus and species, Bitumenpicus minimus, for the smallest woodpecker in the palaeoavifauna of Rancho La Brea. We also recognise a new species of Melanerpes, M. shawi. The most common species present in the asphalt deposits is the Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus, which is predictable because of its ground-foraging habits, which would bring it into contact with the surficial seeps of petroleum more often than those piciforms preferring an arboreal habitat. Habits of the extant species from Rancho La Brea suggest a primarily open environment, with the largest species suggesting the presence of at least scattered large trees. The piciform palaeoavifauna provides support for the hypothesis that southwestern California was a “biogeographic island,” or a region where the insular nature of the habitat promoted speciation during the late Pleistocene.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Alison Stenger for financial support that allowed Z.M.B. to visit the Rancho La Brea collections, and Elizabeth and Jan Szupinski for hosting him during his stay in Los Angeles; K. Garrett, Collection Manager, LACM Ornithology, for assisting with access to modern piciforms; A. Farrell, Collection Manager, Rancho La Brea, for assistance with cataloguing specimens; G. Takeuchi, Rancho La Brea, for loan assistance; C. Cicero and R. Bowie (University of California Museum of Vertebrate Zoology), and J. Dumbacher and M. Flannery (California Academy of Sciences) for loans of modern Dryocopus pileatus specimens; and P. Holroyd, Senior Museum Scientist, University of California, Museum of Paleontology, for access to, and loan of, woodpecker specimens from, the UCMP collections from Rancho La Brea. We thank F. Hertel for commenting on an early draft of the manuscript, and G. Mayr and T.H. Worthy for their careful, detailed reviews of the manuscript, which helped us to improve this work. P. Koenigshof and S. Weber facilitated publication of the manuscript.

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The specimens studied are in the collections of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

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Funding

Dr. Alison Stenger provided funds to support Dr. Bochenski’s travel to California.

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Both authors participated equally in the osteological analyses and preparation of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Kenneth E. Campbell Jr.

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Supplementary Information

ESM 1

This Excel file contains the following information about all extant and unidentified specimens of Piciformes described in this paper: catalogue number, genus, species, element, side, and fragment. (XLSX 26 kb)

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Campbell, K.E., Bochenski, Z.M. A review of the woodpeckers (Aves: Piciformes) from the asphalt deposits of Rancho La Brea, California, with the description of three new species. Palaeobio Palaeoenv 101, 1013–1026 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12549-020-00444-1

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