FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
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The white-headed woodpecker, Picoides Albolarvatus as it is scientifically known, belongs to the Picidae family and genus Leuconotopicus. It is also considered to belong to the genus dryobates and thus, the white-headed woodpecker Dryobates Albolarvatus is this woodpecker's other binomial name. It gets its name as this species has a white head. This species live in mountains and forests in western North America ranging from British Columbia in Canada, Washington, Oregon, and California. It inhabits mountains with pine forests and sometimes coniferous forests. These birds are associated with ponderosa pine and sugar pine forests. This species is known to feed on pines, or seeds in the pine cones and insects by foraging in the bark of trees. This species is black and has a white head as the name suggests. This species does not have a large bill, they are known to have short and sharp bills. They are also known to have white wing patches, the males and juveniles also have a red patch on the back of their head but females do not have that patch and thus, it becomes easy to differentiate among adults. The conservation status of this species is Least Concern, although the population is known to be declining due to loss of old and mature ponderosa pine trees. Breeding is monogamous and long term bonds are formed. Nests are built or constructed in the bark of dead or collapsed trees. The family stays together until the chicks are independent and both the parents take care of the young ones. The calls or the sounds of this bird is known as drumming.
It is fascinating to know about this white-headed woodpecker (Picoides albolarvatus) and if you are interested, read about ivory-billed woodpecker facts and red-headed woodpecker too.
The white-headed woodpecker, Picoides Albolarvatus as is scientifically known, is a bird.
It belongs to the class of Aves of birds.
There is no exact number or count for these woodpeckers recorded.
These birds live in mountains and forests in western North America ranging from British Columbia in Canada, Washington, Oregon, and California.
The habitat of these woodpeckers is limited to mountainous pine forests and sometimes coniferous forests. These birds are associated with ponderosa pine and sugar pine forests.
These birds are known to live alone or in pairs.
These birds or woodpeckers live for about 10 years or more in the wild.
Most species of woodpeckers are known to form long-term bonds, and thus breeding is considered to be monogamous. Nest construction takes place in April and early May. The nests are mostly built-in collapsed and dead trees. Around 3-5 eggs are laid in May or June. Incubation takes place for about 14 days and it is done by both the parents. Both the parents take care of the chicks until they leave the nest and the young ones are known to leave the nest after about 26 days.
The conservation status of these woodpeckers or these birds is Least Concern.
Woodpeckers are black in color with a white head. Woodpeckers have stripes on their wings and a small stripe behind the eye which is black in color. Their throat color is also white. The bill of this woodpecker is short but sharp and black in color and the feet and legs are also black in color. The wings and tail are long. The primary feathers are white in color and it has been observed that these white primary feathers make or form a crescent shape. As it is a medium-sized bird, the body of this bird is considered to be slender but not very slender. Males and the young ones or the juveniles have a small red patch on the back of the head.
These birds are considered beautiful because of the coloring of their plumage.
Not much information is available regarding the communication of these woodpeckers but these birds are known to produce calls that might be high-pitched and are also observed to produce drummings.
Woodpeckers are considered to be similar in size to robins and hairy woodpeckers and are slightly larger than downy woodpeckers and smaller than a northern flicker. These are 9.44 in (240 mm) long.
The exact speed of this woodpecker is unknown but they are known to be fast.
These white-headed woodpeckers weigh around 0.11-0.15 lb (0.052-0.068 kg).
There are no specific names for the males and females of this species.
There is no particular name for the baby of white-headed woodpeckers but in general, they are referred to as chicks, young, and juveniles.
These birds mostly feed on insects by stripping the bark of the trees and finding insects. White-headed woodpeckers also look out for pine cones in trees and feed on the seeds of the pines. These birds drill into the pine cones to find seeds. These birds are known to also feed on berries and nuts apart from seeds and insects. In summer, they can also be seen eating mullein seeds, it is a flowering plant.
White-headed woodpeckers are not considered harmful or dangerous.
Not much information is available regarding white-headed woodpeckers as pets but it is believed that these birds do not make great pets as they are restricted to a certain type of habitat and it is difficult to manage and care for them.
This bird makes its nest in the largest diameter tree it is able to find or locate.
When this bird species tries to feed on the seed in the pine cones, it hangs on the sides and bottom of the cones to escape or avoid the sticky or gummy sap or liquid or juice on its feathers.
This species of bird was first described by John Cassin from a specimen collected in California.
This species is known to be one of the least studied woodpeckers in North America.
Nests made by this species are not used again and new nests are made every year.
This species has the ability to peck around twenty times per second.
The bones in their skull and the flexibility in the bill of this species protects its brain.
The black body of this species of woodpecker provides camouflage when the birds are in shady forests.
The population is known to be declining because of the loss of mature ponderosa pine trees.
These birds are not considered endemic to a place but their habitat is known to be limited and restricted to mountains and pine forests in western North America ranging from British Columbia in Canada, Washington, Oregon, and California.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds including secretary bird facts or hornbill facts.
You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our White headed Woodpecker coloring pages.
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
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