A PHYLOGEOGRAPHIC AND POPULATION GENETIC ANALYSIS OF A WIDESPREAD, SEDENTARY NORTH AMERICAN BIRD: THE HAIRY WOODPECKER (PICOIDES VILLOSUS).

The article discusses a study completed in 2010 which sought to find out why the Hairy Woodpecker, Picoides villosus in Latin, have so many subspecies. It states that this genus has 21 subspecies, with more breeding grounds throughout North America than most others. It reports that researchers selected 296 birds from 89 locations and used ND2 sequencing on them. They found that those from the boreal and eastern zones and those from the western and southwestern zones are a relatively recent breed, suggesting a geographical basis for their diversity.