American Three-toed Woodpecker
Encyclopedia
The American Three-toed woodpecker, Picoides dorsalis is a medium-sized woodpecker
(family
Picidae
).
This woodpecker has a length of 21 cm (8¾ inches) and a wingspan of 38 cm (15 inches) and closely resembles the Black-backed Woodpecker
, which is also three-toed. Until recently, it was considered to be the same species as the Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker, (P. tridactylus). Adults are black on the head, wings and rump, and white from the throat to the belly; the flanks are white with black bars. The back is white with black bars and the tail is black with the white outer feathers barred with black. The adult male has a yellow cap.
The breeding habitat is coniferous forests across western Canada
, Alaska
and the midwestern United States
.
The female lays 3 to 7 but most often 4 eggs in a nest cavity in a dead conifer or sometimes a live tree or pole. The pair excavates a new nest each year.
This bird is normally a permanent resident, but northern birds may move south and birds at high elevations may move to lower levels in winter.
Three-toed Woodpeckers forage on conifers in search of wood-boring beetle
larvae or other insect
s. They may also eat fruit and tree sap.
These birds often move into areas with large numbers of insect-infested trees, often following a forest fire or flooding. This bird is likely to give way to the Black-backed Woodpecker
where the two species compete for habitat.
Woodpecker
Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....
(family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Picidae
Picidae
The woodpeckers, piculets and wrynecks are a family, Picidae, of near-passerine birds. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia and New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions...
).
This woodpecker has a length of 21 cm (8¾ inches) and a wingspan of 38 cm (15 inches) and closely resembles the Black-backed Woodpecker
Black-backed Woodpecker
The Black-backed Woodpecker also known as the Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker inhabiting the forests of North America. It is a medium sized woodpecker ....
, which is also three-toed. Until recently, it was considered to be the same species as the Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker, (P. tridactylus). Adults are black on the head, wings and rump, and white from the throat to the belly; the flanks are white with black bars. The back is white with black bars and the tail is black with the white outer feathers barred with black. The adult male has a yellow cap.
The breeding habitat is coniferous forests across western Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and the midwestern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The female lays 3 to 7 but most often 4 eggs in a nest cavity in a dead conifer or sometimes a live tree or pole. The pair excavates a new nest each year.
This bird is normally a permanent resident, but northern birds may move south and birds at high elevations may move to lower levels in winter.
Three-toed Woodpeckers forage on conifers in search of wood-boring beetle
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
larvae or other insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s. They may also eat fruit and tree sap.
These birds often move into areas with large numbers of insect-infested trees, often following a forest fire or flooding. This bird is likely to give way to the Black-backed Woodpecker
Black-backed Woodpecker
The Black-backed Woodpecker also known as the Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker inhabiting the forests of North America. It is a medium sized woodpecker ....
where the two species compete for habitat.
Subspecies
- P. d. dorsalis, nominate Western race.
- P. d. fasciatus, Rocky Mountain race.
External links
- Picture
- Three-toed Woodpecker Information - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Three-toed Woodpecker - South Dakota Birds and Birding
- American Three-toed Woodpecker photos VIREO