Normally inhabiting high elevation pine forests in Western North America, this one has taken up winter residence in coastal lowlands. This is a first winter (formative plumage) female. Adult females are similar but have a black breast patch. In most woodpeckers females closely resemble males except for slight differences in the amount and distribution of red on the head. But in this species the female looks totally different from the spiffy black, white and red male. Early ornithologists originally described the female as a totally different species.
