A small black-and-white woodpecker with distinctive completely white head. Endemic to specific Pacific mountain pine forests.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The white-headed woodpecker is a non-migratory woodpecker that resides in pine forests of the mountains of western North America.
Source: Wikipedia — White-headed woodpecker Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Solid black body with an entirely white head and white wing patches; male has a small red nape spot. Unmistakable within range.
Similar species. No other woodpecker has a white head on a black body; truly distinctive.
Voice. A sharp, rattling 'pee-dee-dee-dit' and a hard 'chick'.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Insects (especially wood-boring beetle larvae), some fruits and seeds.
Behavior. A pine specialist of western mountain conifer forest; pries seeds from large pine cones and flakes bark, unusual among woodpeckers in feeding heavily on pine seeds.
§ Range
Pacific Northwest mountains
§ Habitat
Mature ponderosa and Jeffrey pine forests
§ Threats
Ponderosa and Jeffrey pine loss.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the white-headed woodpecker is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Support western pine forest conservation.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — White-headed woodpecker
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Dryobates albolarvatus
- IUCN Red List — search for Dryobates albolarvatus
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Dryobates albolarvatus
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds
- National Audubon Society
- iNaturalist
- IUCN Red List
