Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Picoides scalaris
Information and Photographs provided by

7" male has red cap. Female has black cap. (see below) Male and female may be seen foraging together. Black cheek stripe and black stripe behind eye.

3/8/98 - The male Ladder-backed woodpecker that has been visiting our suet daily has found a female! They are both foraging in our trees. I hope to get a family portrait this year. The male often has the red crown on his head raised for all to see. You can't miss him.

2002 Update - A whole family of ladder-backed woodpeckers have visited our suet bird feeders annually. They are not timid at all. I can be working 20 feet away with noisy saws when an adult arrives with a newly fledged woodpecker. The adult gives the call alert which catches my attention so that I can stop what I'm doing to watch the young woodpecker travel up and down our huge oak branch which holds the suet. Suet bird feeders are the best way to attract woodpeckers.

This repeated "pik" or "pip" call note is always loud enough to alert us to their presence. It is louder than any of the other birds visiting the feeders. The male ignored me every time I photographed him in the trees near the suet feeder. He let me take all the photos I wanted. This woodpecker was partial to suet with raisins and insects. I also have had success with peanut suet.

The photo to the right is of the female. Notice the lack of a red crown. Ladder-backed and Downy Woodpeckers are common in Austin all year. Therefore, they both nest regularly here also.

You've seen photos with the red crest (raised and lowered) and also the black crest of the female. Here is a photograph of the top of the woodpeckers head.

The ladder-backed woodpecker's back is black and white and barred. The black-and-white bars appear to break apart into large spots on the wings at the side of the woodpecker. The underparts may be buffy. The sides will be spotted and sometimes the spots will reach across the breast just under the throat area.

SIMILAR WOODPECKERS:

If the woodpecker you are trying to identify does not have the black-and-white barred back but, instead, has a white back in the center surrounded by black, research Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers.

If you live in California and your woodpecker resembles this one, also research Nuttall's Woodpecker.

Other woodpeckers with black lines in the face: Red-naped Sapsucker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, and the large Pileated Woodpecker.