Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 8.3–9.1 in
21–23 cm - Weight
- 1.9–2.3 oz
55–65 g
Other Names
- Pic à tête blanche (French)
- Carpintero cabeza blanca (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The White-headed Woodpecker, like most woodpeckers, nests in holes in trees. This species prefers to make holes in dead trees, snags, stumps, and even leaning and fallen logs.
- When a White-headed Woodpecker forages at pine cones it usually clings to the sides and bottoms of the cone to avoid making direct body contact with the sticky sap. The woodpecker wedges a large intact pine seed into a crevice in the bark of the tree where it will hammer the seed to break it apart.
- Both the male and female incubate the eggs, with the male doing all the nighttime work. They are very attentive to each other during incubation, and often communicate by soft drumming from both inside and outside the nest cavity.
Habitat
Forest
Montane coniferous forests dominated by pines.
Food
Insects
Insects and conifer seeds.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 2–9 eggs
- Egg Description
- White.
- Condition at Hatching
- Naked and helpless.
Nest Description
Nest in cavity in tree, usually a dead tree.
Nest Placement
Cavity
Behavior
Bark Forager
Pecks and flakes bark, probes in cracks. Rarely hammers deep into wood. Clings to unopened pine cones and chips open the scales to get at the seeds. Sometimes flycatches.
Conservation
Least Concern
Although numbers seem stable, conservation status is considered sensitive in several states.
Credits
- Garrett, K. L., M. G. Raphael, and R. D. Dixon. 1996. White-headed Woodpecker (Picoides albolarvatus). In The Birds of North America, No. 252 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornthologists' Union, Washington, D.C.