Ladder-backed Woodpecker

The Ladder-backed Woodpecker is a small woodpecker of arid and semi-arid country in the southwestern United States and Mexico, named for the neat, evenly spaced black-and-white horizontal barring across its back that resembles the rungs of a ladder. It has a black-and-white streaked face, spotted white underparts, and a black-and-white barred back and wings.

Males show a red crown, while females have an all-black crown without red. This small, well-camouflaged woodpecker is closely adapted to desert scrub, thriving in habitats with mesquite, cactus, and thorn scrub that support few other woodpecker species.

Its range overlaps narrowly with the very similar Nuttall's Woodpecker in parts of California, where the two species occasionally hybridize.

Key Field Marks

• Fine, even black-and-white barring across the entire back (the "ladder" pattern)
• Black-and-white streaked face with a black stripe through the eye
• Spotted, buffy-white underparts
• Males show a red crown; females an all-black crown

Similar Species

• Nuttall's Woodpecker is very similar but has a more solidly black back with less extensive white barring and a whiter face pattern; ranges overlap only in a narrow zone in California where hybrids occur.
• Downy Woodpecker has a mostly solid white back stripe rather than the fine horizontal barring of the Ladder-backed.

Ladder-backed Woodpeckers inhabit arid and semi-arid scrub, desert washes, mesquite thickets, and cactus country across the southwestern United States (from California and Nevada east through Texas) and south through much of Mexico. They are well adapted to habitats too dry for most other woodpeckers.

This species is non-migratory, remaining resident within its desert and scrub territory throughout the year.

Behavior

Ladder-backed Woodpeckers forage low in desert scrub and cactus, often working small branches, cactus limbs, and even yucca stalks rather than large tree trunks, reflecting their adaptation to sparse desert vegetation.

Voice

The call is a sharp "pik," similar to other small Dryobates woodpeckers, along with a descending whinny call given during interactions.

Feeding

Insects, particularly beetle and moth larvae extracted from desert shrubs, mesquite, and cactus, make up most of the diet, supplemented by cactus fruit and other plant material.

Nesting & Breeding

Both parents excavate a nest cavity in a cactus (such as saguaro or cholla), mesquite, or other desert tree or shrub, laying 3-5 eggs, with both sexes sharing incubation and feeding duties.