Black-backed Woodpecker
Least ConcernPicoides arcticus
Visual Identification
Black-backed Woodpecker
Appearance
The Black-backed Woodpecker is a striking bird with glossy black upperparts, contrasting sharply with its white underparts. Its head features distinctive white stripes behind the eyes and on the sides, while the wings display small white spots.
Males have bright yellow crown patches, which are absent in females. Juveniles resemble adults but have a duller plumage and, in males, a smaller yellow crown patch. The bird's stiff tail feathers aid in climbing and foraging on tree trunks.
Size
Length
21cm to 24cm
Wingspan
40cm to 44cm
Weight
61g to 88g
Habitat and Distribution
Habitats
Woodland
Garden
Wetland
Coastal
Urban
Farmland
Grassland
Desert
Tundra
Rainforest
Mountain
Savanna
Distribution
Black-backed Woodpeckers inhabit coniferous and mixed forests across northern North America, from Alaska to Newfoundland, and south into the northern United States. They strongly prefer recently burned forests or areas affected by insect outbreaks.
In the United States, they are found in higher elevations of the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada, and northern New England. Their distribution is closely tied to the availability of their preferred habitats, which can shift with fire and insect disturbance patterns.
Elevation Range
Sea level to 3,100 meters
Climate zones
Boreal, Temperate
Distribution Map
Distribution by Region
Behaviour and Ecology
Bird Attributes
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Diet
The Black-backed Woodpecker's diet primarily consists of wood-boring beetle larvae, particularly those of the families Cerambycidae and Buprestidae. They also consume other insects, fruits, and occasionally tree sap.
Their specialized foraging technique involves flaking off large sections of bark to access their prey. Plant matter, including wild berries and tree nuts, account for just over 10 percent of their diet.
Behaviour
Black-backed Woodpeckers are known for their quiet, methodical foraging behavior. They spend hours stripping bark from dead or dying trees, searching for wood-boring beetle larvae.
These birds are generally solitary outside the breeding season, maintaining year-round territories in suitable habitats.
Vocalisation
The Black-backed Woodpecker's vocalizations are relatively quiet compared to other woodpeckers. Their call is a sharp, metallic 'kyik' or a softer 'pik'.
Their drumming is distinctive, consisting of slow, widely spaced taps that accelerate slightly at the end, often described as 'bronk-bronk-bronk-bronk-bronkbrronkrrr'.
Nesting & Breeding
Black-backed Woodpeckers form monogamous pairs during the breeding season, typically from late April to early May. Courtship involves drumming displays and chasing flights around potential nesting trees.
Nests are excavated in dead or dying trees, usually conifers, at heights of 1.5 to 15 meters. The cavity is lined with wood chips, and the female lays 2-6 white eggs.
Both parents share incubation duties for about 12-14 days. Nestlings fledge after 21-25 days but may continue to be fed by parents for several weeks after leaving the nest.
Lifespan
years
The Black-backed Woodpecker typically lives for 6 to 8 years.
Like all birds, lifespan can be affected by factors including predation, habitat quality, disease, and access to food sources.
Conservation and Status
Global Conservation Status
While currently listed as Least Concern, Black-backed Woodpeckers face potential threats from fire suppression practices and salvage logging in post-fire habitats.
Conservation efforts focus on maintaining natural fire regimes and preserving snags in burned areas to ensure suitable foraging and nesting sites.
Birdwatching Tips
- Look for recently burned coniferous forests or areas with beetle infestations
- Listen for their distinctive drumming, which is slower and more irregular than other woodpeckers
- Observe tree trunks for large, rectangular patches of stripped bark, a sign of their foraging activity
- In the US and Canada, focus on boreal forests and higher elevations in western mountains
Additional Information
Quick Facts
Other names:
Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker
Family:
PicidaePredators
Did You Know?
- Black-backed Woodpeckers can hear beetle larvae moving under tree bark.
- They have zygodactyl feet, with two toes pointing forward and two backward, perfect for gripping tree bark.
- These woodpeckers play a crucial role in post-fire forest ecology by controlling wood-boring beetle populations.
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FAQs
What attracts Black-backed Woodpeckers?
The main prey of black-backed woodpeckers is the larvae of wood-boring beetles, so they thrive in habitats with concentrations of dead or dying trees.
Forested landscapes recovering after extensive fires are closely associated with the species, with black-backed woodpeckers quick to take advantage of the wide availability of insects among the decaying wood.
What trees do Black-backed Woodpeckers prefer?
Coniferous forests are a favorite of black-backed woodpeckers, with a variety of different species used for nesting. These include Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, spruce, fir, and hemlock. Larch, aspen, and cedar may also be chosen.
Do Black-backed Woodpeckers harm trees?
Many of the trees in the most common habitats of black-backed woodpeckers have already sustained significant damage, particularly those that have been burned in wildfires, so their presence and excavation of nesting chambers won’t contribute a significant level of extra harm.
In some cases, the opposite is true, with the arrival of black-headed woodpeckers to areas that have been razed by flames bringing new life and being an important part of the woodland regeneration process.
Do Black-backed Woodpeckers go to bird feeders?
Black-backed woodpeckers do not visit backyard feeders. They are able to meet all of their dietary requirements in the wild, particularly in burned forests and other wooded landscapes ravaged by fire.
How do Black-backed woodpeckers benefit from fires?
In the aftermath of forest fires across the US, it has been noted that black-backed woodpeckers quickly colonize these burned expanses of woodland and thrive in the charred remains of trees.
Trees that are killed or damaged by fire offer an ideal nesting habitat for black-backed woodpeckers to carve out their cavities. Such areas also prove to be a magnet for wood-boring beetles to feast on the decaying trunks and branches of burned trees, which in turn leads to a booming food resource for woodpeckers.
References
- 1 3
website: BirdLife International. 2016. Picoides arcticus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22681181A92895828.
View source - 2
website, 2022: Partners in Flight
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