Ladder-backed Woodpecker Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesLadder-backed Woodpecker
Male
Small black-and-white woodpecker. A ladder of stripes goes all the way up the back. Males have a red crown that extends from the eye to the back of the head.
© Edward Plumer / Macaulay LibraryTexas, February 20, 2016Female
Small black-and-white barred woodpecker with streaky sides. Females have a buffy patch in front of the eye and do not have any red markings.
© Eric Gofreed / Macaulay LibraryArizona, December 28, 2016Male
Small woodpecker with a red crown and whitish face. The flanks are streaked and often washed in buff.
© Scott Olmstead / Macaulay LibraryArizona, January 22, 2017Female
Some females have a darker buffy wash on the belly and in front of the eye than others.
© Joan Gellatly / Macaulay LibraryArizona, January 03, 2016Male and female
Agile woodpecker often found foraging on thinner trees and saplings. Males have a red crown that females lack.
© Raul Urgelles / Macaulay LibraryArizona, June 30, 2016Habitat
Found in desert and desert scrub.
© Alejandro Calzada Arciniega / Macaulay LibraryEstado de México, August 28, 2016Similar SpeciesNuttall's Woodpecker
Male
Male Nuttall's have a red crown that is farther back on the head than male Ladder-backed Woodpeckers. The barring on the backs of Nuttall's Woodpecker stops on the upper back while it continues up to the neck on Ladder-backed Woodpeckers.
© David M. Bell / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, May 03, 2017Similar SpeciesNuttall's Woodpecker
Female
The barring on the back of Nuttall's Woodpecker stops on the upper back while it continues up to the neck on Ladder-backed Woodpeckers. Nuttall's also have thinner white facial stripes and whiter underparts than Ladder-backed.
© Herb Elliott / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, March 24, 2017Similar SpeciesDowny Woodpecker
Male (Eastern)
Downy Woodpeckers lack the Ladder-backed Woodpecker's barred back.
© Evan Lipton / Macaulay LibraryRhode Island, February 02, 2017Similar SpeciesHairy Woodpecker
Male (Eastern)
Hairy Woodpeckers don't have black-and-white barring on their backs like Ladder-backed Woodpeckers.
© Jean-Sébastien Guénette / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, February 26, 2016Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
Woodpeckers(Order: Piciformes, Family: Picidae)
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