White-headed Woodpecker

Dryobates albolarvatus

Distinctive woodpecker, unlikely to be confused with any other species. Almost entirely black with white head and small white wing patch. Males have red patch on back of crown; sexes otherwise alike. No other woodpecker shows clean white head and lack of patterning on back or belly. Found in coniferous forests, often in mountains. Usually seen in pairs or family groups. Listen for sharp "peek" notes, often rapidly doubled or tripled.

识别特征

It has a black body (approximately 20 cm (7.9 in) long) and white head. It has white primary feathers that form a crescent in flight. Males have a red spot at the back of the head.

分类信息

Most of the range is occupied by the nominate subspecies. In the southern part of the range, L. a. gravirostris, which has a longer bill - especially in males - and tail, is only found on mountaintops of the San Gabriel Mountains to San Diego County. Birds on Mount Pinos are somewhat intermediate. mtDNA cytochrome b and ATP synthase subunit 6 sequence data confirms this arrangement and also suggests that the Mount Pinos birds are closer to L. a. gravirostris (Alexander & Burns, 2006). Apparently, the larger bill of the southern subspecies is an adaptation for being better able to feed on the large, spiny cones of Coulter pines (Pinus coulteri). Some taxonomic authorities, including the American Ornithological Society, place this species in the genus Dryobates.

学名
Dryobates albolarvatus
命名信息
(Cassin, 1850)
Piciformes
Picidae
Dryobates

分布与栖息地

The range of the white-headed woodpecker stretches in the mountains from British Columbia through southern California. They form nests in dead trees or snags and reproduce once per year.

迁徙
Vertical migration

保护状况

种群趋势
stable

照片

分布

鸟叫声

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