White-headed Woodpecker

The White-headed Woodpecker is one of the most distinctive woodpeckers in North America, with an entirely white head contrasting sharply against a glossy black body. Males show a small red patch on the back of the head (the nape), which is absent in females. In flight, a white patch at the base of the primary feathers is visible on the otherwise black wings.

This species is a pine-forest specialist, closely tied to large, open stands of ponderosa and Jeffrey pine where it feeds heavily on pine seeds extracted directly from cones, an unusual foraging behavior among woodpeckers.

Key Field Marks

• Entirely white head, unique among North American woodpeckers
• Glossy black body and wings
• White patch at the base of the primaries, visible in flight
• Males show a small red nape patch; females lack it

Similar Species

• No other North American woodpecker shares the combination of an all-white head and black body, making this species essentially unmistakable within its range.

Habitat

White-headed Woodpeckers favor open, mature ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer forest with large cone-bearing trees, and are sensitive to loss of old-growth pine stands.

Range

This species is found in mountain ranges of the interior Pacific Northwest and California, including the Cascades, Sierra Nevada, and parts of Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon's high desert ranges.

Migration

White-headed Woodpeckers are largely non-migratory, remaining resident within pine forest habitat year-round, though some altitudinal movement occurs in winter.

Behavior

Unlike most woodpeckers, which primarily excavate insects from bark and wood, White-headed Woodpeckers spend much of their time clinging to pine cones, prying out and eating seeds directly, especially in fall and winter.

Voice

Calls include a sharp, high-pitched pee-dink note and rattling calls; drumming is a fast, even roll, typically shorter than that of other woodpeckers.

Feeding

Diet shifts seasonally: pine seeds dominate in fall and winter, while insects, especially wood-boring beetle larvae and ants, are more important in spring and summer.

Nesting

Pairs excavate a cavity, often in a dead pine snag or stump, sometimes low to the ground; both parents incubate the 3-7 white eggs and feed the young.