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Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Picoides scalaris ORDER: PICIFORMES FAMILY: PICIDAE

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

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A small black-and-white woodpecker of the southwestern United States and Mexico that forages and nests in cactus.

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At a GlanceHelp

Measurements
Both Sexes
Length
6.3–7.1 in
16–18 cm
Weight
0.7–1.7 oz
21–48 g
Other Names
  • Pic arlequin (French)
  • Carpintero listado, Carpintero chilillo, Carpintero mexicano (Spanish)

Cool Facts

  • Although it is restricted to desert and arid environments in the United States, the Ladder-backed Woodpecker is found in pinelands in Central America.

Habitat


Deserts

Found in deserts and desert scrub.

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Food


Insects

Insects and arthropods.

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Nesting

Nesting Facts
Clutch Size
4–7 eggs
Egg Description
White eggs
Condition at Hatching
Young hatch naked and helpless.
Nest Description

Nest in cavity in trees and cactus.

Nest Placement

Cavity
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Behavior


Bark Forager

Forages by gleaning, probing, prying, and tapping; only occasionally excavates.

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Conservation

status via IUCN

Least Concern

Decline in numbers in Texas.

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Credits

  • Lowther, Peter E. 2001. Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/565
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Range Map Help

Ladder-backed Woodpecker Range Map
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