American Three-toed Woodpecker Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A small woodpecker with a stout body and a fairly short but strong, chisel-like bill.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Downy Woodpecker, smaller than a Hairy Woodpecker.

  robin-sized

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 8.3-9.1 in (21-23 cm)
    • Weight: 1.6-2.4 oz (44.8-67.9 g)
    • Wingspan: 14.6-15.3 in (37-39 cm)

  © ROGER GRIMSHAW / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  A black-and-white woodpecker with (in males) a yellow patch on the forehead. The back is black with messy white barring and white spots in the wings. The underparts are white with fine blackish barring on the flanks. The face is black with a white line behind the eye and a thin white line below the cheek. The outer tail feathers are white, usually with a few black bars. Juveniles of both sexes have a small yellow crown patch.

• Behavior

  Forages by flaking or scaling bark from tree trunks, rarely excavating deeply into wood. Often spends long periods working on a single tree before moving on. Both sexes call and drum frequently in the spring and early summer.
• Habitat

  Disturbed forest such as young burned areas, bark beetle outbreaks, and windthrows in western and northern coniferous forests.