White-headed Woodpecker

The White-headed Woodpecker inhabits montane pine forest of the western United States, particularly stands with mature ponderosa or sugar pine. Its entirely white head against a black body is unmistakable and unlike any other North American woodpecker.

It forages more on cone-bearing branches than on trunks compared to many other woodpeckers, reflecting its close association with pine seed as a food source alongside insects.

• Head: entirely white, unique among North American woodpeckers
• Body: solid black overall
• Wings: white patch visible at rest and prominent in flight
• Nape: males show a red patch; females lack it
• Vs. all other US woodpeckers: the solid white head is diagnostic and not shared by any similarly sized species

Males show a red patch on the nape that females lack; otherwise the sexes share the same white head and black body pattern. Juveniles show a duller white head, sometimes with a small red crown patch in young birds regardless of sex, lost after the first molt. A single annual molt follows breeding.

Resident in montane pine forest, especially ponderosa and Jeffrey pine with mature cone-bearing trees, from Washington and Oregon south through California's mountains and into the Sierra Nevada. It is largely non-migratory, with some altitudinal movement in harsh winters.

Forages on pine cones and bark for seeds and insects, spending more time working cones than many other woodpeckers, which supplements its insect diet with pine seed. It excavates nest cavities in dead pine snags. Calls include sharp, high-pitched notes, and its drumming is a fairly soft, quick roll.