Piciformes

Subfamily Jynginae Wrynecks

There are no flock members in this subfamily.

Subfamily Picumninae- Piculets

There are no flock members in this subfamily.

Subfamily Picinae- Woodpeckers

Melanerpes erythrocephalus- Red-headed Woodpecker

Sphyrapicus varius- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

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Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

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The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is a keystone species. (One whose existence is vital for the maintenance of a community.) The sap wells dug by this species are exploited by other bird species. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird builds its nest adjacent to Yellow-bellied Sapsucker wells and times its migration to coincide with that of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker drills a series of shallow holes in the bark of a tree and licks up the sap that flows. It maintains these well daily to keep the sap flowing. It also gleans for insects and feeds on fruit.

Cavities excavated by Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are used by other birds that do not excavate cavities of their own.

The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker breeds in young forests, especially in birch and aspen trees. The male arrives on the breeding ground first and selects the nesting site. The female lays 5-6 white eggs. Both birds incubate the eggs for 12-13 days, and feed the chicks insects until they fledge at about 25 days of age.

Historically the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was shot in large numbers because it was considered a threat to orchards. Now this species is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Populations of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are stable, this species having benefited from deforestation which created open areas and forest edges which it prefers. Habitat loss in Central America where the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker winters is a concern.

Picoides pubescens- Downy Woodpecker

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View range map of Downy Woodpecker

The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest of North American woodpeckers and is resident across the continent from the pacific coast to the east coast, and from southern Canada south to Florida and southern California.

The soft down like appearance of the feathers on the birds back gave it its name. The Downy woodpecker has black and white stripes on its back, and the male has a red crown patch. The short beak, white spots on the outer tail feathers, different vocalization and small size distinguish this little bird from the very similar Hairy woodpecker.

Downy woodpeckers are most common in open, deciduous woodlands, especially riparian woodlands. They also occupy coniferous woodlands, urban and suburban parks and residential areas. They frequent back yard bird feeders.

Often seen hitching up trees, Downy woodpeckers forage for insects, fruit, seeds and sap. The birds glean from tree bark, probe into crevices and hang upside down to feed on fruit and seeds, and at bird feeders. Male Downy woodpeckers excavate in search of food more than females, who probe more frequently.

Male and female Downy woodpeckers defend territories and excavate separate winter roost holes. Courtship begins in late winter or early spring, with drumming and flight displays. A new nest cavity is excavated in a dead or dying tree every year and lined with wood chips. This excavation takes about 16 days.

Incubation of the 4-5 eggs is shared by both parents and last for about 12 days. The chicks are brooded by the male at night, while the female roosts elsewhere within the territory. The chicks fledge after 18-21 days. Both parents feed the chicks for an additional 2-3 weeks after which they become independent.

You can help this species by participating in Project Feederwatch and The Great Backyard Bird Count.

Colaptes auratus- Northern Flicker

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The Northern Flicker is a large woodpecker with a black crescent shaped throat patch and black spotted under parts. Two sub-species, one in the western part of the species range and the other in the eastern part, differ by color of the under wings and whiskers. The Red-shafted flicker of western North America has red under wings and the male has a red whisker. The Yellow-shafted flicker of eastern North America has yellow under wings and the males' whisker is black. The two were formerly considered separate species. The two sub-species hybridize where their ranges meet.

The Northern Flicker is a widespread species of a variety of open habitats including parks, suburbs, open woodlands, deserts and mature forests. Some northern populations of Alaska and Canada are migratory while those of the United States and Central America are largely resident year round.

This woodpecker forages on the ground for insects, particularly ants, and also fruits and seeds.

Pairs defend a nest tree with loud calls and drumming. The nest is usually in a dead or diseased tree, snag or post. Both birds excavate the cavity, but this species frequently reuses existing cavities also. The clutch consists of 5-8 white eggs. Incubation is shared by the birds and lasts for 11-14 days. The chicks are fed regurgitate by both parents and fledge after about 26 days.

Northern Flicker numbers are declining throughout the species range. This may be due to loss of nesting habitat, due to the removal of dead trees and snags and competition for nesting cavities with other species.

Dryocopus pileatus- Pileated Woodpecker

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View range map of Pileated Woodpecker

The Pileated Woodpecker is a spectacular bird of deciduous and coniferous forests of the eastern United States, Mexico and Cuba, and south western Canada.

Second in size only to the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in the United States, the Pileated Woodpecker is a 17 inches tall, crow sized black bird with a striking white facial pattern. The large bright red crest extends down the forehead in the male, ending at the crown in the female. The male also has a red mustache.

A year round resident throughout its range, the Pileated Woodpecker is common in mature forests, cypress swamps and second growth woodlands. In the east the species has occupied suburban areas and other modified landscapes.

Due to its large size, the Pileated Woodpecker requires very large trees for nesting. The species excavates large cavities, and these are used by many other species of birds, mammals and reptiles, making this bird a vital part of the ecosystem in which it lives.

Pileated Woodpeckers glean from branches, scale bark and probe crevices searching for insects. Carpenter ants and wood-boring beetle larvae are important elements of the birds' diet. Fruit, nuts, acorns and sap are also eaten.

Drumming is used to defend territory, during courtship and for communication between mated pairs. The call of the Pileated Woodpecker is a beautiful rising note travelling through the forest canopy.

Pileated Woodpeckers mate for life and defend a territory year round. Both birds excavate the cavity using their large chisel shaped beaks. Old nesting cavities may be used as roost holes year round, but a new nesting cavity is usually excavated each season.

The female lays 3-5 white eggs. Both parents incubate the eggs which hatch after approximately 15-18 days. The chicks are fed regurgitated insects by both parents and fledge after about 27 days. Immature birds remain with their parents until the fall, learning to forage for themselves. During the winter the young wander, and then seek a territory of their own the following spring.

Pileated Woodpeckers require large territories of woodland with mature trees. Timber harvesting, fragmentation of forests and removal of large dead trees, destroys nesting, roosting and foraging habitat of this species.

Help this species by participating in Project Feederwatch and The Great Backyard Bird Count.

Campephilus principalis- Ivory-billed Woodpecker

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Ivory-billed Woodpecker

View historical range map of Ivory-billed Woodpecker

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in the United States, and the third largest woodpecker in the world. There were no documented sightings of this species for 60 years, and some feared the Ivory-billed Woodpecker was extinct. The rediscovery of this iconic species in Arkansas in 2004 raised hopes that it may still be saved.

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is a beautiful big, (length 19.5") black and white bird. The males have a distinctive red crest.

Like other Campephilus woodpeckers, the Ivory-bill produces a "double rap" by striking a tree.

Listen to the "kent" call and other vocalizations of the Ivory-billed woodpecker.

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker was once resident throughout the virgin hardwood forests, swamps, and bottomlands of the southeastern United States. Those in Cuba were once considered to be a separate species. There have been no confirmed sightings of the Ivory-billed woodpecker in Cuba since 1986.

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker feeds on beetle larvae found beneath the bark of recently dead trees. It uses its large ivory colored bill as a chisel, removing strips of bark from the tree, to reveal the beetles, and also splintering fallen trees and logs to find wood-boring insects.

Ivory-billed woodpecker pairs excavate a nest cavity in partially dead or dying trees, along the edges of dense swamps. The female lays 2-3 white eggs which both parents incubate for 20 days. Both parents care for the chicks. The chicks fledge after 35 days and the parents continue to care for them for about a year. The chicks cannot feed themselves adequately until the chisel-like bill is fully developed.

Ornithologists speculate that the Ivory-billed Woodpecker may have a life span of 20-30 years.

Much of our knowledge of this species comes from the work of Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology founder Professor Arthur Allen, Professor Peter Paul Kellogg, and graduate student James T. Tanner, who studied the birds in the Singer Tract in Louisiana during the 1930s. View film from this expedition.

James T. Tanner spent two years from 1937 to 1939 studying the birds in the Singer Tract which was the largest remaining piece of primeval forest in the south. He searched for them in other locations across the southern United States, but found no other Ivory-bills. Tanner's work, which was sponsored by the National Audubon Society, was published as a book; "The Ivory-billed Woodpecker".

Historically, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker was hunted by Native Americans, who traded in their bills, which were believed to be a totem of successful warfare.

Early naturalists reported that the Ivory-billed Woodpecker was often called "The Lord-God Bird" by local people, because the sight of this amazing bird caused people to exclaim, "Lord God what a bird!"

During the mid 1800s to early 1900s Ivory-billed Woodpeckers were much desired by collectors and were shot for specimens in large numbers. The rarer they became the more desirable and the higher their economic value to collectors. In addition, egg collectors destroyed nests and shot adult birds.

The greatest cause of the decline of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker was the logging of the bottomland hardwood and virgin cypress forests of the south eastern United States, which were mostly destroyed by the 1950s. Even the Singer Tract, which the National Audubon Society campaigned to protect as a refuge, was clear cut during World War Two.

Searches for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker continued as new sightings were reported in Louisiana, Florida and Texas. In the 1950s John V Dennis obtained the last scientifically accepted photographs of an Ivory-bill in Cuba. His sightings in Texas led to the establishment of the Big Thicket National Preserve in 1974. Subsequent sightings have not been widely accepted by the ornithological community because of the lack of photographic evidence of this elusive bird.

In 2004, there was a series of seven sightings in the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas, followed by video and audio evidence. In 2005 Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology announced the rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in the "Big Woods" of Arkansas and launched a series of annual expeditions to find and document the species. To date no further photographic evidence has been obtained, however some evidence of bark removal by feeding Ivory-bills and some further audio evidence has been obtained. The difficulty of searching in the inaccessible swamps has made locating the birds difficult, and there is still much suitable habitat to be explored.

The members of the Big Woods Conservation Partnership remain committed to the conservation of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker and the preservation of the habitat on which it and many other species depend. Beginning with the 2009 search season, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology expanded the focus of their search team efforts to other areas of the species historic range in southwestern Florida. Researchers and volunteers from The Nature Conservancy, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Arkansas Audubon Society continued to search the Big Woods of Arkansas during the 2009 search season. No evidence of Ivory-billed Woodpeckers was found during the season as reported in the Cornell Chronicle in July of 2009. A season summary was produced and a book covering the five year long search is expected to be published at a later date. The large scale search efforts have now come to an end, but searches by smaller groups and individuals will go on. The end of the Cornell search does not mean the bird is not still out there. The inaccessible nature of the habitat of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker means that the likelihood that a small population could remain undetected is high. In January 2009 the results of a population viability analysis on the Ivory-billed Woodpecker was published. The study showed that if just five pairs survived the extensive habitat loss of the early 1900s, the species could have survived into modern times.

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is an icon of the destruction of the natural world, and people around the world were captivated by the announcement that it may not be too late to save this species. A culture of the Ivory-bill developed centered around Brinkley, Arkansas, and local artists and business owners hoped the Ivory-billed Woodpecker would put their town on the map. Musician Sufjan Stevens wrote a hauntingly beautiful song about the Ivory-billed Woodpecker and all that the species represents. In June 2009 the 1935 recordings of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker were placed in the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress, in recognition of their great cultural significance.

In April 2010, the USFWS published the first ever Recovery Plan for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, a comprehensive document which outlines the efforts to document existing populations, restore habitat, and recover the species, as required by the Endangered Species Act.

To learn how you can help this species visit these websites:

Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology

US Fish and Wildlife Service

Big Woods Conservation Partnership

Ivory-billed Woodpecker

Family Bucconidae- Puffbirds

Family Galbulidae- Jacamars

Family Ramphastidae- Toucans and New World Barbets

Family Picidae- Woodpeckers and Allies