The American three-toed woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker, which is native to North America.
Region
North American boreal and montane forests
Typical Environment
Found from Alaska and western/central Canada southward into the northern and higher-elevation forests of the contiguous United States, especially the Rockies and northern Great Lakes region. Prefers mature to old conifer stands dominated by spruce, fir, or lodgepole pine. Frequently occupies recently burned areas and beetle-killed forests where wood-boring insects are abundant. Also uses subalpine conifer zones with abundant snags. Typically forages on trunks and large limbs rather than in the canopy.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 3000 m
Climate Zone
Continental
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This species specializes in recently burned or beetle-killed conifer forests, where it scales bark to reach wood-boring beetle larvae. It has only three toes, which may aid its grip on vertical trunks. Males show a small yellow crown patch, a key field mark. Its presence often indicates post-disturbance forest habitats rich in insect prey.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
undulating with short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually encountered singly or in pairs outside the breeding season. Monogamous pairs excavate nest cavities in dead or decaying conifers, especially in recently burned areas. Both sexes incubate and feed the young. Family groups may remain together briefly after fledging before dispersing.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are soft, including dry, ticking kiks and quiet rattles. The primary territorial display is a steady, moderate-length drum roll on resonant dead wood. Drumming is more frequent in spring but can be heard year-round in suitable habitat.
Plumage
Back finely barred black and white with a laddered appearance; underparts whitish with dark barring or streaking on the flanks. Face shows bold black-and-white contrasts, including a strong white supercilium. Male has a small yellow crown patch; female lacks yellow. Tail stiff with white-barred outer feathers.
Diet
Feeds mainly on larvae and adults of bark beetles and other wood-boring insects, supplemented by ants, moth larvae, and occasional other arthropods. Often flakes and scales bark rather than excavating deeply, leaving distinctive foraging patches. Will probe crevices and dead limbs and occasionally glean insects from the surface. In post-fire or beetle-kill forests, it concentrates on infested snags with high prey density.
Preferred Environment
Forages on standing dead or dying conifers, especially spruce, fir, and lodgepole pine. Most feeding occurs on trunks and larger branches in mid to lower levels of the forest. Frequently uses recently burned stands with abundant snags.
