Photo © by Stanley Jones
Edinburg Scenic Wetlands, Edinburg, Hidalgo County, Texas, USA, April 2019
- Dryobates scalaris
Picoides scalaris; Dendrocopos scalaris; Picus scalaris
Identification
16.5 to 19 cm (6½ to 7½ inches) in length
Straight black bill
- Black and white, barring on back and wings
- Black spotted, white underparts and rump
Adult males
- Red crown to nape (smaller in immatures)
- Buff forehead
- Black forecrown with red feather tips
Adult female has a black crown
Similar Species
Nuttall's Woodpecker is similar but darker with broader dark bars across back and face.
Distribution
South-western United States, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 8 subspecies[1]:
- D. s. cactophilus:
- D. s. eremicus:
- Northern Baja California
- D. s. lucasanus:
- Southern Baja California
- D. s. soulei:
- Cerralvo Island, southern Baja California
- D. s. graysoni:
- Tres Marías Islands (off western Mexico)
- D. s. sinaloensis:
- Coastal western Mexico (southern Sonora to Guerrero, south-western Puebla, western Oaxaca)
- D. s. scalaris:
- Southern Mexico (Veracruz and Chiapas)
- D. s. parvus:
- North Yucatán Peninsula, Cozumel Island and Holbox Island
- D. s. leucoptilurus:
- Belize, Guatemala and El Salvador to north-eastern Nicaragua
Habitat
Deserts and open woodland in very dry areas; also woods along seasonally dry water courses.
Behaviour
Breeding
They nest in cavities excavated in tree trunks. Their clutch contains 2 to 7 plain white eggs which are incubated by both adults.
Diet
Their diet consists mostly of insects, invertebrates and their larva, such as beetles, caterpillars and ants; they also eat some fruit.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved May 2019)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Ladder-backed Woodpecker. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 7 December 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Ladder-backed_Woodpecker
External Links
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Search the Gallery using the common name:
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