Ladder-backed woodpecker

The Ladder-backed Woodpecker is fairly common in dry brushy areas and thickets and has a rather large range. The species can be found year-round over the southwestern United States , most of Mexico, and locally in Central America as far south as Nicaragua.

The Ladder-backed woodpecker is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

The Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris) is a North American woodpecker. Contents - * 1 Range and habitat * 2 Description * 3 References * 4 External links Range and habitat - The Ladder-backed Woodpecker is fairly common in dry brushy areas and thickets and has a rather large range. More

The Ladder-backed Woodpecker is a small woodpecker about 16.5 to 19 cm (6½ to 7½ inches) in length. It is primarily colored black and white, with a barred pattern on its back and wings resembling the rungs of a ladder. Its rump is speckled with black, as are its cream-colored underparts on the breast and flanks. Southern populations have duskier buff breasts and distinctly smaller bills. Adult males have a red crown patch that is smaller in immatures and lacking in adult females. More

Ladder-backed Woodpecker Range MapView dynamic map of eBird sightings Field MarksHelp - * Adult malePopOutZoom In Adult male * © Greg W. More

The Ladder-backed woodpecker is a desert bird, found throughout the southwestern states of the United States through Mexico and into Central America. They are well adapted to very dry climates and are quite comfortable in open to semi-open woodland or brushy desert. As expected with these specialized adaptations, the Ladder-backed is a non-migratory woodpecker. More

The Ladder-backed Woodpecker is rated as Least Concern currently. The range of this bird species is about 3 million square kilometers. The population of the Ladder-backed Woodpecker is estimated at around 2 million individual birds. The Ladder-backed Woodpecker is native to Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, Mexico, Honduras, the United States and Nicaragua. This bird is not considered to be facing any immediate dangers or threats to its range or population. More

Bent Life History for the Ladder-backed Woodpecker - the common name and sub-species reflect the nomenclature in use at the time the description was written. TEXAS WOODPECKER DRYOBATES SCALARIS SYMPLECTUS Oberholser HABITS This is the subspecies that was formerly known as Baird's woodpecker, Dryobates scalaris bairdi, which was then understood to be the resident bird of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. But when Dr. H. C. More

Ladder-backed Woodpeckers nest in cavities excavated from tree trunks, or in more arid environments a large cactus will do. The female lays between 2 and 7 eggs, which are plain white. The eggs are incubated by both sexes, but the nesting period and other details are unknown. Diet: Like most other woodpeckers the Ladder-backed Woodpecker bores into tree-trunks with its chisel-like bill to hunt for insects and their larva, but it also feeds on fruit produced by cacti. More

The Ladder-backed Woodpecker is black with white barring on its face. The male has a red crown patch while the female lacks the red crown patch. Both sexes have black wings with white spots and a black back with white bars. It is similar in appearance to the Nuttall More

The Ladder-backed Woodpecker is not listed as threatened or endangered at the federal or state level. However, it is on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Birds of Conservation Concern list (U.S. Fish and Wildlife 2002) for the Edwards Plateau Bird Conservation Region in Texas. More

The Ladder-backed Woodpecker ranges up the east slope of the mountains to at least 3200 feet elevation in places, being recorded west to Alder Canyon (C22), the east slope of San Felipe Valley (H21 and I21), Oriflamme Canyon (L22), and the upper end of Carrizo Creek (T28). Thus there is a narrow strip, perhaps no more than 5 miles wide, along the east slope where both the Ladder-backed and Nuttall's occur. More

The Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris) is a North American woodpecker. Range and habitat The Ladder-backed Woodpecker is fairly common in dry brushy areas and thickets and has a rather large range. The species can be found year-round over the southwestern United States (north to extreme southern Nevada and extreme southeastern Colorado), most of Mexico, and locally in Central America as far south as Nicaragua. Description The Ladder-backed Woodpecker is a small woodpecker about 16. More

3/8/98 - The male Ladder-backed woodpecker that has been visiting our suet daily has found a female! They are both foraging in our trees. I hope to get a family portrait this year. The male often has the red crown on his head raised for all to see. You can't miss him. 2002 Update - A whole family of ladder-backed woodpeckers have visited our suet bird feeders annually. They are not timid at all. More

The Ladder-backed Woodpecker is a small woodpecker, with bold black and white barring on the back and wings, a black and white-striped face pattern, and black spotting on the flanks. Males have a reddish crown. ladder-backed woodpecker Female - Females have a black crown. ladder-backed woodpecker Seasonal change in appearance - None. More

* Ladder-backed Woodpecker,Picoides scalaris Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Picoides scalaris = A Yucca flower.Reproduction of the Ladder-backed woodpecker Picture of a Joshua tree.The Ladder-backed woodpecker excavates nest cavities in the Agave and Yucca's dead flower stalks and Joshua tree. Most vegetation in the desert is either to short and accessible to predators or too narrow in diameter to excavate a hole. The Ladder-backed woodpecker also nests in riparian areas that border the desert. More

Picture of Picoides scalaris above has been licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial.
Original source: Blake Matheson
-Blake Matheson -Author: Blake Matheson
Permission: Some rights reserved
Order : Piciformes
Family : Picidae
Genus : Picoides
Species : scalaris
Authority : (Wagler, 1829)