BirdFellow - Birding services, social networking, and habitat conservation

Woodpeckers and Allies

25 Bird Species

Acorn Woodpecker

This western woodpecker has a bold facial pattern. Black surrounds the base of the bill. The forehead, front half of the cheek, and throat are yellowish white. The area surrounding the eye and the back half of the cheek are black, highlighting the white eye. The back of the crown is all red on males. more...

Length: 23 cm Wingspan: 43 cm

American Three-toed Woodpecker

One of two woodpecker species in North America with only three toes, this trait requires extremely close approach to be of much use in identification. Black upperparts, with white outer tail feathers and irregular black barring on the white back. The amount of barring on the back varies with subspeci more...

Length: 20 cm Wingspan: 36 cm

Arizona Woodpecker

This is the only woodpecker in North America with a solid brown back. Upperparts are chocolate brown. The tail is darker with white barring on the outer feathers. Underparts are white with extensive brown spots and barring. The head and neck are largely white, with dark crown, ear coverts, and malar more...

Length: 20 cm Wingspan: 36 cm

Black-backed Woodpecker

Like the American Three-toed Woodpecker, this species has only three toes. Solid black upperparts, with white outer tail feathers, fine white bars on the primaries, and a bold white line below the eye. Underparts are white with black barring on the sides and flanks. Males and juveniles have a yellow more...

Length: 24 cm Wingspan: 43 cm

Downy Woodpecker

This is the smallest and one of the most widespread woodpeckers in North America. Upperparts are mostly black, with a trough of white down the middle of the back, white spots on the wings, and white outer tail feathers with black bars. The head shows bold white stripes above and below the eye, expand more...

Length: 17 cm Wingspan: 28 cm

Eurasian Wryneck

A small, cryptically patterned woodpecker with an overall pattern suggestive of a nightjar. Grayish upperparts show some fine streaking and broad dark streaks along the scapulars and on the back. Facial markings include a broad brown eye stripe, a narrow whitish supercilium, and tawny auriculars. Und more...

Length: 17 cm Wingspan: 26 cm

Gila Woodpecker

This woodpecker of the Desert Southwest has black and white barring on the upperparts, including the back, rump, uppertail coverts, and central tail feathers. The head, nape, and underparts are a pale grayish brown. Males have a red patch on the crown, lacking on females and juveniles. In flight, not more...

Length: 20 cm Wingspan: 38 cm

Gilded Flicker

This species is slightly smaller and paler than Northern Flicker. Upperparts are golden brown with fine black barring. The crown and nape are brown, while the face is gray. Males show a red malar stripe. The underparts are whitish to pale buff, with black spots broadening to crescents or bars on the more...

Length: 25 cm Wingspan: 46 cm

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

This species gets its name from the yellow tuft of nasal bristles at the base of the bill. The back and wings are barred black and white. The rump is unmarked white, and the tail is black, except for some white barring on the outermost tail feathers. These two features separate this species from the more...

Length: 22 cm Wingspan: 41 cm

Great Spotted Woodpecker

This vagrant woodpecker from Eurasia is strikingly patterned, and unlike any North American species. Upperparts are black, with a large white patch on the scapulars and wing coverts and white barring on the flight feathers. The outer tail feathers are white with black spots. The head and neck are mos more...

Length: 23 cm Wingspan: 38 cm

Hairy Woodpecker

Very similar in plumage to Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker is larger overall with a much longer bill (at least half the total length of the head). Like the Downy, Hairy Woodpecker shows much variation across its range. Upperparts are mostly black, with a trough of white down the middle of the back more...

Length: 22 cm Wingspan: 38 cm

Ivory-billed Woodpecker

This woodpecker, the largest in North America, was believed to be extinct for nearly a half century. However, recent sight records in Arkansas and Florida are intriguing and have raised hopes that it persists, though convincing physical evidence of this species' existence is still lacking. Black over more...

Length: 48 cm Wingspan: 76 cm

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

This little woodpecker is found in arid and semi-arid habitats of the Southwest. The upperparts are barred black and white. The head is predominantly dull white, with bold black lines through the eye and malar region connecting around the cheek. The tuft of nasal bristles is buffy or pale gray. Males more...

Length: 15 cm Wingspan: 28 cm

Lewis's Woodpecker

Unique in both coloration and behavior, Lewis’s Woodpecker is not likely to be confused with any other species. A bit larger than most woodpeckers, its upperparts are solid blackish with a green sheen. A pale gray collar encircles the neck and upper breast. The belly is salmon pink and the face is more...

Length: 25 cm Wingspan: 51 cm

Northern Flicker

Two distinct races of this large woodpecker occur in North America. Yellow-shafted Flicker predominates in the east and north, Red-shafted Flicker in the west. Intergrades between these two subspecies are common in the central part of the continent. Upperparts are golden-brown with black barring. The more...

Length: 32 cm Wingspan: 48 cm

Nuttall's Woodpecker

This is a small black and white woodpecker of oak woodlands. It is very similar to Ladder-backed Woodpecker, but the ranges of the two species only overlap in southern California. Upperparts are barred black and white, with the white bars narrower than the black, and a solid black band across the upp more...

Length: 19 cm Wingspan: 34 cm

Acorn Woodpecker
10 Photographs
American Three-toed Woodpecker
6 Photographs
Arizona Woodpecker
13 Photographs
Black-backed Woodpecker
14 Photographs
Downy Woodpecker
6 Photographs
Eurasian Wryneck
0 Photographs
Gila Woodpecker
9 Photographs
Gilded Flicker
1 Photograph
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
3 Photographs
Great Spotted Woodpecker
0 Photographs
Hairy Woodpecker
8 Photographs
Ivory-billed Woodpecker
1 Photograph
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
10 Photographs
Lewis's Woodpecker
4 Photographs
Northern Flicker
8 Photographs
Nuttall's Woodpecker
2 Photographs

Non-vegetated Areas

0 species

Salt Water

0 species

Human-altered Areas

9 species