Black-backed Woodpeckers (Picoides arcticus) are striking birds native to the boreal forests of northern and western North America. They are easily recognized by their solid black uppersides, which is theorized to be an adaptation to their favorite habitat type – burned forests.
However, nobody really knows how they locate newly burned woods after the insect populations decline in their old one. Think you saw one? Here is some information to help you!
Identification
Black-backed Woodpeckers are medium-sized with a body shape typical to woodpeckers, albeit with a relatively large head. They measure 9.1 inches long with a wingspan of 15.8-16.5 inches and have broad wings and a strong medium-length tail. Unlike most woodpecker species, they have three instead of four toes. Their bills and eyes are dark.
Male. Photograph © Glenn Bartley
Male and female Black-backed Woodpeckers look very similar. They are black above with small white spots on the wings, white below with black-and-white barring on the flanks, and have a black tail with white outer feathers. Their heads are black, their throats white, and they have a white stripe across their face and a small white mark behind their eye.
Female. Photograph © Glenn Bartley
Males have a yellow crown patch, whereas females have a fully black crown. If they live in burned woodlands, then the white in their plumage often becomes gray due to soot.
Juvenile Black-backed Woodpeckers look similar to adults.
Vocalizations
Black-backed Woodpeckers make various calls and sounds. Their most common call is a sharp high-pitched pik. This can be extended into a longer series when they are alarmed. If they become very agitated, then they emit descending rattle-snarls that start with a few pik-notes and end in a mechanical growl or rattle.
Like other woodpeckers, Black-backed Woodpeckers also drum on resonant objects to communicate and attract mates. Their drumming is fairly short, just over a second long, regular, and gets slightly quieter towards the end.
Food
Black-backed Woodpeckers are omnivorous, though plant material makes up only about 12% of their diet and includes some fruits, nuts, and pieces of cambium.
Their primary food source is insects, particularly the larvae of wood-boring beetles, such as long-horned wood-borers and flat-headed woodborers, and bark beetles like mountain pine beetles and darkling beetles. However, they also snack on ants, spiders, and other arthropods they find while out and about.
Black-backed Woodpeckers primarily extract their prey from the trunks and large limbs of dead or dying trees, fallen logs, or burned trees.
They mostly focus on one spot at a time, first flaking or pecking off the bark, eating what they can just below it, and then using their long tongues to explore the larval tunnels extending further into the trunk to reach the grub. If you see a tree blackened by fire and exposed orange patches over the trunk, then it might be a sign that a Black-headed Woodpecker has been foraging there.
Additionally, due to their preference for burned trees and wood-boring beetles, they are considered one of the most specialized woodpeckers when it comes to foraging. You may also see them looking for food on the ground or flying out to catch an insect in mid-air, but that is rare.
Nesting and Eggs
Black-backed Woodpeckers are monogamous, form long-lasting bonds, and possibly mate for life. They may stay together throughout the non-breeding season and mate again in the next breeding season.
During courtship, both males and females use various vocalizations and displays to attract mates, threaten rivals, and show interest. They may raise their bills and crests, swing their heads from side to side, spread their wings, and fan out their tails.
Black-backed Woodpeckers typically nest in cavities in dead or decaying trees in areas of recent forest fires or coniferous forests with wood-boring insect outbreaks.
Bonded pairs may fly around a lot to find a suitable nesting area and use it again from year to year until the insect populations decline and food becomes scarce. If the fire did extensive damage, then they prefer to nest closer to the unburnt areas rather than in the completely damaged spaces.
Both members of the pair contribute to the excavation process. Males do most of the work early on whereas the females are the ones to finish the cavity. You can usually find them in the main trunk 10-35 feet above the ground in a smaller tree, at least relative to the trees around it, and lined with wood chips.
The entrance to the cavity is a little under two inches in diameter on average and leads into a modest 8-inch deep and 4-inch wide hole.
One pair raises one brood per year with 2-6, mostly 3-4 eggs in a clutch. Black-backed Woodpecker eggs are white and measure 0.9-1 inches long and 0.7-0.8 inches wide. Incubation takes 12-14 days with both parents taking turns. Both also take care of their offspring once the eggs hatch. The younglings leave the nest 22-26 days after hatching.
Current Situation
Black-backed Woodpeckers range throughout the northern lowlands and western mountains of North America. They are resident throughout their range. These woodpeckers are found in taigas aka boreal coniferous forests.
They prefer burnt forests or forests with lots of dead or dying conifers, especially spruce, firs, pine, and hemlock. These trees are important for nesting as well as foraging.
Black-backed Woodpeckers are listed as of least concern on the IUCN Red List. Their population is relatively stable. The species is numerous and has a large range. However, they are vulnerable to many forestry practices such as fire suppression and post-fire salvage logging as those reduce the available nesting and foraging grounds.
Facts About Black-backed Woodpeckers
- Black-backed Woodpeckers are cavity nesters and although they may nest in the same area every year, then they dig a new hole every breeding season and abandon the old one. Over time, this creates a supply of ready-made nesting holes for birds that are cavity nesters but cannot excavate cavities on their own.
- During the breeding season, the male usually forages farther away from the nest, returning less often but with more food.
- Black-backed Woodpeckers love burned forests and often forage on blackened trees for wood-boring insects. Their dark plumage helps them camouflage against the tree which suggests that the species have adapted to this habitat over time.
- Most woodpeckers have four toes. However, the Black-backed Woodpecker only has three. Some suggest that this allows them to lean further back and hit the tree harder, allowing them to excavate holes into harder and therefore safer wood.
- The oldest known Black-backed Woodpecker on record lived to be at least 4 years and 11 months old.
Similar Species
Black-backed Woodpeckers are similar to a few other woodpecker species but are fairly easy to identify once you get a good look. Compared to similar species in the area, the dead giveaway is their solid black back.
American Three-toed Woodpecker
American Tree-toed Woodpeckers have a fairly similar range to Black-backed Woodpeckers. They are black above with a white line or white barring down the back, small white spots on flight feathers, white underside, and barred flanks. Their heads are black, and they have two white face stripes and a white throat. Males also have a yellow crown patch.
The two species look fairly similar, but American Three-toed Woodpeckers have white barring or a solid white line down the back and two white face stripes whereas the Black-backed Woodpeckers have a solid black back and only one white stripe on their face.
Additionally, female American Three-toed Woodpeckers have white speckling on their foreheads, whereas female Black-backed Woodpeckers have a solid black forehead.
Downy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpeckers have a much wider range and are resident throughout almost all of North America. They are quite small. Their undersides are white and their uppersides are mostly black with a bold white patch down their back and white spots on their flight feathers. They have a boldly marked head with two white stripes and a black base. Males have a small red nape patch.
You only have to worry about the females of the two species since male Downys have a red nape patch and male Black-backs have a yellow crown patch. Female Downy Woodpeckers are smaller and have a white patch on their backs, two white face stripes, and unbarred flanks whereas female Black-backed Woodpeckers have solid black backs, one white face striped, and barred flanks.
Hairy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpeckers have a wider range than Black-backed Woodpeckers, which covers almost the entirety of North America and parts of Central America. They are white below and have mostly black uppersides with a white back patch and small white spots on the wings. Their black heads are boldly marked with two white stripes. Males also have a small red nape patch.
You may only have trouble with differentiating between the females of the species. Female Hairys have a white back patch, two white face stripes, and unbarred flanks whereas female Black-backs have a solid black back, only one white face stripe, and barred flanks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do Black-backed Woodpeckers live?
Black-backed Woodpeckers live in coniferous, often burned coniferous forests with lots of dead or dying trees throughout northern and western North America.
Do Black-backed Woodpeckers live in the U.S.?
Black-backed Woodpeckers live in the mountainous areas of the western United States.
What do Black-backed Woodpeckers eat?
Black-backed Woodpeckers mostly eat wood-boring beetle larvae, but also other insects and some berries, nuts, and tree tissue.
How big are Black-backed Woodpeckers?
Black-backed Woodpeckers measure 9.1 inches long on average.
