Black-backed Woodpecker
Encyclopedia
The Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus) 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 (23 cm long).
The plumage
of adults is black on the head, back, wings and rump. They are white from the throat to the belly; the flanks are white with black bars. Their tail is black with white outer feathers. There is an element of sexual dimorphism
in the plumage, with the adult male possessing a yellow cap. Unlike all other woodpeckers except the related American
and Eurasian
Three-toed Woodpeckers, this species has three-toed feet.
Their breeding habitat is boreal forest across Canada
, Alaska
and the north-western
United States
. In particular the species is a burnt-forest specialist, feeding on the outbreaks of wood-boring beetles that feed on recently burnt trees. The most important wood boring beetles taken are in the families
Cerambycidae and Buprestidae, along with engraver beetles and Mountain pine beetle
. Most food is obtained by pecking, a smaller proportion is obtained by gleaning
off branches. Black-backed Woodpecker are generally non-migratory but historically have undertaken intermittent irruptions.
Nest excavation occurs in April and May; a fresh nest is drilled each year into the sapwood of dead trees. Abandoned nests are used by other species of bird to nest in. The female lays 3 or 4 eggs, and incubation
duties are shared between both parents, although the male alone incubates during the night. Upon hatching the altricial
chicks are brooded until the nestling phase. Both parents feed the chicks, which take about 24 days to fledge
.
The call note of the Black-backed Woodpecker is a single, sharp pik, and is lower pitched than the call of the American Three-toed Woodpecker.
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....
inhabiting the forests of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. It is a medium sized woodpecker (23 cm long).
The plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
of adults is black on the head, back, wings and rump. They are white from the throat to the belly; the flanks are white with black bars. Their tail is black with white outer feathers. There is an element of sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
in the plumage, with the adult male possessing a yellow cap. Unlike all other woodpeckers except the related American
American Three-toed Woodpecker
The American Three-toed woodpecker, Picoides dorsalis is a medium-sized woodpecker .This woodpecker has a length of 21 cm and a wingspan of 38 cm 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...
and Eurasian
Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker
The Three-toed Woodpecker, Picoides tridactylus, is a medium-sized woodpecker.The adult is 21.5-24 cm in length. It is 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...
Three-toed Woodpeckers, this species has three-toed feet.
Their breeding habitat is boreal forest across 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 north-western
Northwestern United States
The Northwestern United States comprise the northwestern states up to the western Great Plains regions of the United States, and consistently include the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, to which part of southeast Alaska is also sometimes included...
United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In particular the species is a burnt-forest specialist, feeding on the outbreaks of wood-boring beetles that feed on recently burnt trees. The most important wood boring beetles taken are in the families
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...
Cerambycidae and Buprestidae, along with engraver beetles and Mountain pine beetle
Mountain pine beetle
The mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae, is a species of bark beetle native to the forests of western North America from Mexico to central British Columbia. It has a hard black exoskeleton, and measures about 5 millimeters, about the size of a grain of rice.Mountain pine beetles inhabit...
. Most food is obtained by pecking, a smaller proportion is obtained by gleaning
Gleaning (birds)
Gleaning is a term for a feeding strategy by birds in which they catch invertebrate prey, mainly arthropods, by plucking them from foliage or the ground, from crevices such as rock faces and under the eaves of houses, or even, as in the case of ticks and lice, from living animals. This behavior is...
off branches. Black-backed Woodpecker are generally non-migratory but historically have undertaken intermittent irruptions.
Nest excavation occurs in April and May; a fresh nest is drilled each year into the sapwood of dead trees. Abandoned nests are used by other species of bird to nest in. The female lays 3 or 4 eggs, and incubation
Avian incubation
Incubation refers to the process by which certain oviparous animals hatch their eggs, and to the development of the embryo within the egg. The most vital factor of incubation is the constant temperature required for its development over a specific period. Especially in domestic fowl, the act of...
duties are shared between both parents, although the male alone incubates during the night. Upon hatching the altricial
Altricial
Altricial, meaning "requiring nourishment", refers to a pattern of growth and development in organisms which are incapable of moving around on their own soon after hatching or being born...
chicks are brooded until the nestling phase. Both parents feed the chicks, which take about 24 days to fledge
Fledge
Fledge is the stage in a young bird's life when the feathers and wing muscles are sufficiently developed for flight. It also describes the act of a chick's parents raising it to a fully grown state...
.
The call note of the Black-backed Woodpecker is a single, sharp pik, and is lower pitched than the call of the American Three-toed Woodpecker.
External links
- Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Black-backed Woodpecker Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Black-backed Woodpecker Information - South Dakota Birds and Birding
- Black-backed Woodpecker videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Black-backed Woodpecker photo gallery VIREO