Black-backed Woodpecker

Black-backed Woodpecker - A Three-toed Woodpecker

Black-backed Woodpecker [Yvette Thibodeau Charette Photo]

The Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus) is a native of New Brunswick.  It is an uncommon resident which breeds sparingly across the province mostly in the central and northern parts of the province.  It prefers coniferous forest, especially forests with plenty of dead or dying trees.  The photo above was taken on 5 January 2020 at Edmundston.  The woodpecker is feeding on insects found under the bark of a conifer, probably a spruce or a fir.  

The Black-backed Woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker, about 24 cm/9 in long.  It is about the same size as our Hairy Woodpecker.  It is an uncommon woodpecker and seeing one makes a good day for a birder.  I have seen this species many times over the years and it is almost always in an area of dead trees, often an area where there are lots of tamaracks.  I hear a faint tapping among the trees and on listening carefully, I attempt to locate the source of the tapping.  Sometimes it will be a Black-backed.  It is a shy bird and not easily seen.  It will often continue feeding, usually placing the tree trunk between itself and the viewer.  It usually does not vocalize.  

Black-backed Woodpecker [Dorothy Chase Photo]

The photo above was taken on 6 January 2020 in the Ayers Lake area.  The individuals in each of the photos above are females.  The males have a conspicuous yellow patch on the forecrown.

The Black-backed Woodpecker has black upper parts.  Its head is black with a white malar patch which extends behind the eye.  It has barred flanks, a black tail with white outer tail feathers. The only other species one would need to distinguish this species from is the American Three-toed Woodpecker (see previous post on this blog).  The American Three-toed Woodpecker has a black-and-white barred back and a white line behind the eye.  

The Black-backed Woodpecker and the American Three-toed Woodpecker are the only three-toed woodpeckers in North America.  They have two forward-facing toes but just a single backward-facing toe.  Other woodpeckers have two toes in the back.  Both the Black-backed and the American Three-toed Woodpeckers share similar habitats.  They feed by flipping off large chunks of bark from dead and dying trees and feed on the insects and larvae underneath.  This leaves telltale evidence of their presence.  They are often found feeding in burnt-over forested areas or in areas devastated by insect damage.  The range of both species is similar; most of southern Canada including all of the Atlantic Canada and Quebec north to southern Labrador.  

The Black-backed Woodpecker's call is a sharp pik.  This species nests in holes in coniferous trees where it lays 2 to 6 white eggs which are incubated for 12 to 14 days.  The nest hole is often close to the ground but can be up to 4 m/15 ft high.  The young leave the nest after about 25 days. 

The diet of this species is mainly wood-boring beetles, grubs, weevils, ants and spiders.  They will also feed on berries, small fruits, acorns and nuts.  An interesting fact is that females have been shown to forage higher in the trees than males.  It is interesting to speculate why.  

The next time you are wandering around in the woods and you see softwood tree trunks with large patches of bark removed, there may be Black-backed Woodpeckers present.  Listen for their tap-tap and you just might be lucky enough to see one of our uncommon woodpeckers!