American Three-toed Woodpecker
Picoides dorsalis
Rare to Ivvavik 3
This species is rare to Ivvavik National Park. If you see this species and manage to take a photo, please upload it to iNaturalist and/or send it to us directly at yukoncdc@gov.yk.ca. You will be helping us expand the scientific knowledge of this bird.
Diagnostic description 4
Morphologically very similar to the black-backed woodpecker (Picoides arcticus) but is smaller. They are sympatric and occur together ecologically. The barred pattern on back distinguishes it from the black-backed.
Habitat 5
Coniferous forest (primarily spruce), less frequently mixed forest. Optimal habitat includes areas with 42-52 snags per 100 acres, with snags occurring in clumps, measuring 12-16 inches dbh and 20-40 feet tall, and mostly with bark still present (Spahr et al. 1991). Cavity nests placed in dead (occasionally live) tree (commonly conifer or aspen). Sometimes nests in utility poles. Prefers coniferous forest, primarily spruce and balsam fir in the East. It inhabits areas where dead timber remains after fires or logging. It is found less frequently in mixed forest, and occasionally in willow thickets along streams. Also found in high elevation aspen groves, bogs, and swamps. In the west, they occur in dense coniferous forests, and are associated with subalpine fir and Engelmann spruce at higher elevations; they occur mainly in lodgepole pine forests or in mixed-conifer forests with a lodgepole component at lower elevations (Short 1982). Seem to prefer disturbed coniferous forests with trees that exhibit thin, flaky bark such as spruce and lodgepole pine.
Reproduction 6
Nesting occurs in May and June, young can be found in the nest into July (Oatman 1985, Brewer et al. 1991, Adams pers. comm.). In Montana, nest building is observed in June, with the young out of the nest by early August (Davis 1961). One broods per year. Clutch size usually is four. Incubation, by both sexes, lasts 12-14 days. During incubation birds are rather quiet. Male roosts nightly in nest throughout incubation (Ehrlich et al. 1988). Young are tended by both parents, fledge in 22-26 days, remain with adults for at least a month after fledging. Nesting may be somewhat colonial where food is abundant. Pair bond sometimes lasts multiple years. Nesting times are very similar for the three-toed and black-backed woodpeckers.
Trophic strategy 7
Eats mainly insects obtained by chipping off pieces of tree bark. Seventy-five percent of its diet consists of wood-boring beetles and caterpillars that attack dead or dying conifers (Oatman 1985). It eats a few ants, weevils, spiders, berries, acorns, cambium, and sap (Terres 1980). This woodpecker taps softly when feeding, and generally uses an angular bill motion to strip or flake bark pieces from conifers. In Vermont, birds have been seen tapping straight into the wood (Oatman 1985). Forages most often on dead (including fire-killed) trees.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Jerry Oldenettel, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/jroldenettel/6790731610/
- (c) Jerry Oldenettel, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/jroldenettel/5394120019/
- (c) Yukon Conservation Data Centre, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
- Adapted by Yukon Conservation Data Centre from a work by (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28824077
- Adapted by Yukon Conservation Data Centre from a work by (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28824081
- Adapted by Yukon Conservation Data Centre from a work by (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28824078
- Adapted by Yukon Conservation Data Centre from a work by (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28824082
More Info
Range Map
iNaturalist.ca Map
| Bird | woodpecker |
|---|---|
| Color | black, white |
