The American Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides dorsalis) is a fascinating bird that inhabits the dense boreal forests of North America.
Known for its distinctive three-toed feet—a rarity among woodpeckers—this species plays a vital role in pest control by eating wood-boring and other tree-dwelling insects and their larvae. They often perch motionless against tree trunks, making them difficult to spot, so here is some information about what to look out for.
Identification
American Three-toed Woodpeckers have the typical woodpecker body. They are fairly small and stout, measuring 8.3-9.1 inches long, and have a wingspan of 14.6-15.3 inches.
Their dark bills are also on the smaller side compared to some other woodpeckers, but still strong. As the name suggests, they have three instead of four toes. In flight, you can see that they have white outer tail feathers with some black markings, while the central feathers are black.
Male
Male American Three-toed Woodpeckers are overall black-and-white birds with a small yellow accent.
Their uppersides are mostly black with small white spots on the wings and a variable amount of white on the back from some barring to a fairly solid white patch. In contrast, their undersides are white, and their flanks are barred in black and white. They have a black head and a white throat, two white face stripes, and a yellow crown patch.
Female
Female American Tree-toed Woodpeckers look very similar to males. They are black above with white barring or solid patch on their back and small white dots on their wings. Their underside is white, and their flanks barred in black and white. They have black heads with two white face stripes, a white throat, and white speckling on their foreheads.
Juvenile American Three-toed woodpeckers are very similar to adults. However, they are duller, smaller, and have shorter bills. They also have a small yellow crown patch regardless of sex.
Vocalizations
American Three-toed Woodpeckers have a few high-pitched and nasal calls. Their most common call is a soft but sharp pik. They also give a descending agitated rattle, often in flight, that sounds like many pik notes given in very rapid succession.
Another series of twittering calls has a squeaky quality and vaguely resembles a lower-pitched version of the Barn Swallows song, only without the buzzy trills.
You are most likely to hear this species drumming in the springtime. It is fast and regular in pace, although some individuals may drum slowly, with the ending fading out.
Food
Three-toed Woodpeckers are omnivorous and prefer to forage alone, except during the breeding season when they often move around with their partner. They mainly feed on beetle larvae of bark beetles and wood-boring beetles such as the mountain pine beetle and spruce beetle, but also ant larvae, spiders, and moth pupae. The plant part of their diet includes some fruit and tree sap.
Three-toed Woodpeckers prefer to forage in insect-infested areas, commonly after a fire or a flood, on dead or dying conifers, especially spruces. They tend to work on a single tree for hours on end, climbing up and down trunks and methodically flaking off pieces of bark to reveal the larvae.
Sometimes, they also dig deeper to get to wood-boring beetles or glean insects straight from the bark. Where it inhabits the same space as the Black-backed Woodpecker, it tends to give way to it and forage higher up in the trees.
Although rarer, Three-toed Woodpeckers may also drill sap wells in trees, like sapsuckers, and return to drink the sap. They may also steal sap from the wells created by sapsuckers.
Nesting and Eggs
American Three-toed Woodpeckers are monogamous for the breeding season. Some pairs reunite for the subsequent breeding seasons. Their courtship displays and threat displays are mostly the same. They raise their crests, point their bills, sway their heads from side to side, and spread their wings and tails.
American Three-toed Woodpeckers nest in cavities in the trunks of small, mostly dead coniferous trees roughly 2-50, mostly 5-15 feet above the ground. Sometimes, they also go for living trees, aspen, or utility poles.
Both members of the pair contribute to the excavation process – males do most of the work early on, and females take over later on.
The entrance is about 1.6 inches in diameter. This leads to the inner cavity, which is roughly 11 inches deep and 4 inches across, with a bottom lined with wood chips. The pair creates a new nest every year.
One pair raises one brood in a year with 3-7 eggs, mostly 4 eggs in a clutch. American Three-toed Woodpecker eggs are white and measure around an inch long and 0.7 inches wide. Incubation takes 12-14 days, with both sexes taking turns.
Males take the night shift, whereas females incubate during the day. After the eggs hatch, both help feed and care for their offspring. The young stay in the nest for 22-26 days and become independent for about 4-8 weeks after that.
Current Situation
American Three-toed Woodpeckers range throughout northern and western North America. They are resident throughout their range but may wander long distances to look for new abundant food sources. Individuals inhabiting high mountains and the northernmost reaches of the range may migrate to lower elevations or southwards for the winter.
American Three-toed Woodpeckers inhabit coniferous boreal and mountain forests. They prefer mature and old-growth forests with lots of dead trees or forests that have been damaged, either by strong winds, fire, or flood.
Boggy areas with lots of dying trees or forests with extensive beetle infestations are also liked. These types of environments are perfect for foraging and breeding. You are unlikely to find them in logged areas.
Three-toed Woodpeckers (both American and Eurasian) are listed as of least concern on the IUCN Red List. Although their population seems to be increasing, it is still important to keep in mind that they are vulnerable to some forestry practices.
They are threatened by pesticides meant to suppress beetle outbreaks and suffer from forest fragmentation or habitat loss due to fire suppression, mechanical thinning, salvage logging, and removal of dead or insect-infested trees.
Facts
- The American Three-toed Woodpecker and the Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker were once considered a single species – the Three-toed Woodpecker. However, in 2003, they were split into two separate species based on differences in their DNA and voice.
- American Three-toed Woodpeckers is the northernmost breeder of the American woodpecker species. The only woodpecker species in the world that breeds further north is the Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker.
- During the nesting season, adults are not very bothered by human presence. You may get quite close to observe them.
- Although small, the American Three-toed Woodpecker packs a powerful punch. This is claimed to be because they have only three instead of four toes, which allows them to lean further back to deal stronger blows.
- American Three-toed Woodpeckers can live for 6 years in the wild.
Similar Species
American Woodpeckers have a few fairly similar species within their range. However, if you get a good look and know what to keep an eye out for, then identification should prove relatively easy. Here are three of the most similar species and how to tell them apart.
Black-backed Woodpecker
Black-backed Woodpeckers have a very similar range to American Three-toed Woodpeckers with some minor differences. Adults are black above, white below, and have barred flanks and small white spots on their wings. Their heads are black with a white throat, a white stripe across their face below the eye, and a tiny white mark behind their eye. Males also have a yellow crown patch.
At first glance, the two appear very similar, especially if seen from a distance. However, American Three-toed Woodpeckers have a white patch or white barring on their back and two white face stripes, whereas Black-backed Woodpeckers have a solid black back and only one white face stripe.
In addition, female American Three-toed Woodpeckers have white speckling on their foreheads whereas female Black-backs do not.
Hairy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpeckers have a more extensive range than American Three-toed Woodpeckers and cover almost all of North America and parts of Central America. Adults are mostly black above with a white patch on the back and white spots on the wings. They have white undersides and flanks and a black head with two white face stripes and a white throat. Males also have a small red nape patch.
Males of the two species can be easily told apart because American Three-toed Woodpecker males have a yellow crown patch and barred flanks whereas male Hairys have a red crown patch and white flanks.
Females are more similar, but American Three-toed Woodpeckers have barred flanks and generally barred backs whereas Hairy Woodpeckers have solid white flanks and a solid white patch on their back.
Downy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpeckers range across most of North America. Adults are white below and mostly black above, with a white patch on their back and bold white spots on the wings. They have black heads with a white throat and two white face stripes. Males also have a small red patch on their nape.
You can easily distinguish between males by the color and location of their crown patch. Male Downys have a red patch at their nape, while American Three-toed Woodpeckers have a yellow one near their forehead.
American Three-toed Woodpeckers generally have a barred back and flanks, whereas Downy Woodpeckers have a solid white patch on their back and solid white flanks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do American Three-toed Woodpeckers live?
American Tree-toed Woodpeckers live in coniferous boreal and mountain forests with lots of dead and/or dying trees in northern and western North America.
Why are American Three-toed Woodpeckers named after their toes?
American Three-toed Woodpeckers are named after their toes because it is an uncommon adaptation amongst woodpeckers. Most usually have four toes.
Are American and Eurasian Three-toed Woodpeckers from the same family?
American and Eurasian Three-toed Woodpeckers not only belong to the same family, namely the woodpecker family Picidae, but also to the same genus, the three-toed woodpecker genus Picoides.
Are the American Three-toed Woodpeckers completing with Black-backed Woodpeckers?
American Three-toed Woodpeckers do compete with Black-backed Woodpeckers to some degree due to their overlapping habitat requirements and food sources but Black-backed Woodpeckers are more specialized in their selections.
