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White-headed Woodpecker

Picoides albolarvatusOrder: PICIFORMESFamily: Woodpeckers (Picidae)

White-headed Woodpecker Portrait
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General

White-headed Woodpecker: Medium-sized woodpecker, mostly black with large white wing patches. Head and throat are white; nape patch is red. Female lacks red nape patch.

Range and Habitat

White-headed Woodpecker: Resident from extreme south-central British Columbia, northeastern Washington, and Idaho, south to southern California and western Nevada. Some birds migrate down mountain slopes in the winter. Ponderosa pine belts in mountains are the preferred habitat.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"pee-dink", "pee-dee-dee-dink"

Interesting Facts

  • The White-headed Woodpecker was first described in 1850 by John Cassin, an American ornithologist. It is one of the most poorly studied woodpeckers in North America.
  • The larger bill of the southern subspecies may an adaptation for being better able to feed on the large, spiny cones of Coulter Pines.
  • Because they pry rather than hammer bark from trees and forage by excavating cones, their foraging tends to be quieter than that of other woodpeckers.
  • A group of woodpeckers has many collective nouns, including a "descent", "drumming", and "gatling" of woodpeckers.


Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for White-headed Woodpecker
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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.
Family
Species Picoides albolarvatus
Length9 Inches
Wingspan17 Inches

White-headed Woodpecker

White-headed Woodpecker: Medium-sized woodpecker, mostly black with large white wing patches. Head and throat are white; nape patch is red and narrow. Small black stripe behind the eye. Bill is black and small. Legs and feet are black. This is the only North American woodpecker with a white head.

● Song: "pee-dink", "pee-dee-dee-dink"

● Foraging & Feeding: White-headed Woodpecker: Feeds on insects and conifer seeds. Peers into cracks of bark and probes crevices with tongue; generally forages on cones in late summer or winter.

● Breeding & nesting: White-headed Woodpecker: Three to seven white eggs are laid in a nest cavity in a pine stub or snag, often close to the ground. Both parents incubate eggs for about 14 days.

● Similar species: White-headed Woodpecker: Acorn Woodpecker has white rump and belly, and black on face and crown.

Flight Pattern

Alternates several deep flaps with glides.
White-headed Woodpecker Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: White-headed Woodpecker: Resident from extreme south-central British Columbia, northeastern Washington, and Idaho, south to southern California and western Nevada. Some birds migrate down mountain slopes in the winter. Ponderosa pine belts in mountains are the preferred habitat.
BreedingMonogamous
PopulationFairly common in coniferous range
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight2.2 Ounces