White-headed Woodpecker

Picoides albolarvatus

1/1

Habitat

Status

Endangered (Federal)
Red List (Provincial)

Description

The White-headed Woodpecker is 21-23cm long with a small bill. Its body is black and there are white patches on the wings. The head is entirely white, but males have a red patch of feathers at the back of the head.

White-headed woodpeckers reside year-round in coniferous forests. They prefer Ponderosa Pine dominant habitats as their main food source in British Columbia is Ponderosa Pine seeds. White-headed woodpeckers need large trees with an open forest canopy and snags for nesting sites.

Threats

-Loss of habitat due to human development
-Fire suppression
-Human cutting of standing dead and dying trees
-Ponderosa Pine forest lost to Pine Beetles

You Can Help!

-Retain standing dead and dying trees in and adjacent to open grasslands (especially trees with cavities and broken tops greater than 40 cm in diameter)
-Retain healthy native plant communities and lush under story vegetation that support prey insects
-Thin out young trees and seedlings encroaching on open grasslands
-Consider implementing a permitted prescribed burn
-Avoid frequent or prolonged human disturbance at nest sites during the breeding season (May-August)