Black-backed Woodpecker

Picoides arcticusOrder: PICIFORMESFamily: Woodpeckers (Picidae)

General

Black-backed Woodpecker: Small woodpecker with solid black back, barred flanks, and white underparts. Head has a conspicuous white cheek mark and yellow crown. Female has solid black crown.

Range and Habitat

Black-backed Woodpecker: Resident in Alaska, Canada, and northern U.S. Preferred habitats include coniferous forests in the boreal zone, especially where burned, logged, or swampy.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"pick", "chik", "kik"

Interesting Facts

The Black-backed Woodpecker has three toes, and is also known as the Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker.

The activity of these birds in burned areas is evidenced by the presence of black tree trunks with orange spots. While flaking off the charred bark in search of insects, they expose the orange cambium underneath.

Females forage higher on trees than males. Females also feed young more often than males, but carry less food in each visit.

A group of woodpeckers has many collective nouns, including a "descent", "drumming", and "gatling" of woodpeckers.

Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Black-backed Woodpecker

Black-backed Woodpecker: Small woodpecker with black back, black wings with white spots on flight feathers, barred flanks, white underparts. Head has a conspicuous white cheek mark and yellow crown. Tail is black with white outer tail feathers. Black bill is long and stout. Legs and feet are gray.

● Song: "pick", "chik", "kik"

● Foraging & Feeding: Black-backed Woodpecker: Diet includes mainly insects such as wood-boring beetles, grubs, weevils, ants, other beetles, and spiders. Also feeds on berries and other small fruits, acorns, and nuts.

● Breeding & nesting: Black-backed Woodpecker: Two to six white eggs are laid in a cavity excavated in a tree, often close to the ground. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Black-backed Woodpecker: American Three-toed Woodpecker has black-and-white bars down center of back. Hairy Woodpecker has white back and unmarked white underparts.

Flight Pattern

Alternates powerful flaps with glides.

Black-backed Woodpecker Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Black-backed Woodpecker: Resident in Alaska, Canada, and northern U.S. Preferred habitats include coniferous forests in the boreal zone, especially where burned, logged, or swampy.

^BreedingMonogamous

^PopulationUncommon to fairly common

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight2.5 Ounces

Field Guide to Birds of North America