Picoides dorsalis
The American Three-toed Woodpecker (*Picoides dorsalis*) is a distinctive medium-sized woodpecker, measuring 21-23 cm (8.3-9.1 inches) in length with a wingspan of 40-43 cm (15.7-16.9 inches). Its plumage is strikingly black and white, featuring a black back, white belly with barred flanks, and a prominent white stripe down the face. A key identification mark is the male's bright yellow crown patch, a feature conspicuously absent in females. Unlike most North American woodpeckers, it possesse...
Occupies mature coniferous forests, particularly spruce, fir, and pine stands, often favoring areas recently disturbed by fire or insect outbreaks, typically found at higher elevations in montane regions and across boreal lowlands.
Feeds almost exclusively on bark beetles and their larvae, as well as the larvae of wood-boring beetles; primarily forages by scaling bark, gleaning, and excavating.
American Three-toed Woodpeckers are primarily diurnal, roosting solitarily in excavated tree cavities at night. Their most distinctive behavior is their specialized foraging, where they flake off large pieces of bark from dead or dying trees to access hidden bark beetles and their larvae, leaving...
The American Three-toed Woodpecker has a broad distribution across North America's boreal and montane coniferous forests. Its breeding range extends across Alaska and Canada, eastward to the Maritimes, and south through the western mountains of the United States. In the west, it inhabits the Rock...
Least Concern
- The American Three-toed Woodpecker is unique among North American woodpeckers for having only three toes – two pointing forward and one pointing backward – a specialized adaptation for gripping tree trunks while scaling bark. - They are expert "bark scalers," using their chisel-like bills to pr...