Woodpeckers of Idaho: Part 1

There are 10 different species of woodpeckers in Idaho, some common and some a little harder to find.  Alex and I were able to find all ten species while we were here this spring and summer.  This is part 1 of a two part post summarizing a few good places to find each species.

For a few of the more uncommon/specialty woodpeckers, I've included range maps that I created using e-bird. E-bird is an essential tool for ALL birders.  It helps you keep track of your own personal sightings, and more importantly, gives you a means for sharing what you've seen with other birders and the scientific community.  If you aren't using e-bird, you should start.

White-headed Woodpecker (Picoides albolarvatus)

White-headed Woodpeckers are the most unique-looking woodpecker I have ever seen (and I've seen all of North America's Woodpeckers except for the Red-breasted Sapsucker!).   Both male and female have an all black body with white wing patches, and a white head.  In addition, the male has a red crown. They forage mostly on pince cones, wedging pine seeds into tree cracks and hammering them until they break. In Idaho, a great place to see them is in Idaho City, where they are known to regularly visit suet feeders.  Beware though...you may have to wait all morning for just a quick visit from one!  This species is hard to come by elsewhere in the state, but check E-bird for a few places to start looking.

White-headed Woodpecker - female (note lack of red on top of head)

White-headed Woodpecker - male (note red on top of head)

All locations in Idaho where White-headed Woodpeckers

 have ever been reported on E-bird

(yellow marker is Idaho City/most recent sightings reported) Click for interactive map

Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) and Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus)

Two of the most common woodpeckers in Idaho are the Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, the classic "black and white" woodpeckers.  These guys are the species that most people are probably familiar with, since they are found all over North America.  If you have suet feeders up, these two species are likely to be its main visitors. The species are best distinguised by over all size and bill size (Downy Woodpeckers are small with a small short bill, while Hairy Woodpeckers are large with a longer bill), general behavior (Downys are a little faster and more agile when moving), and call/drumming. You can find them in just about any city park, yard, forest edge, or pine plantation in Idaho.  Check out this post by David Sibley comparing geographic drumming sounds of each species. There are also geographic variations in appearance of both species.

Downy Woodpecker - female

Hairy Woodpecker - male

Hairy Woodpecker - female

Red-naped Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis)

There are two kinds of  "sapsuckers" that are found in Idaho.  The first species that we came across was the Red-naped Sapsucker. They have the typical "sapsucker" look, with faded/whitish barring on the back and a white stripe on their sides. In addition, males have a completely red throat. A very reliable place to see them throughout the year is on the west side of Lake Cascade.  They were all over the place in the early morning on our first trip there in April, and again in June.  Otherwise, keep an eye out for them at local parks, and groves of aspen and willow. These woodpeckers are reliably seen at low elevations in the Rockies, unlike a few others of Idaho's specialty woodpeckers that can only be found at higher elevations. 

Red-naped Sapsucker: note all red throat

Red-naped Sapsucker: note all red throat, white strip down side, and mixed black/white barring on back

Click for map of recent sightings and numbers reported through seasons

Williamson's Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus thyroideus)

Idaho's other sapsucker is the Williamson's Sapsucker.  Like the Red-naped Sapsucker, this bird drills holes in the sides of trees creating lines of "sap wells."  Williamson's Sapsucker is a very unique looking woodpecker.  The male is mostly black with some white barring, has a white rump, white eye-line and moustache, in addition to a red throat and yellow breast.  The female looks completely different, and appears overall brown with black and white barring, with a yellow breast.  A very reliable place to see this species is on Bear Basin Road just north west of McCall Idaho.  We've also heard a few, with their distinct drumming, in various places around Island Park (see the recent sightings in yellow below on the e-bird map), and two weeks ago on the South Hills bird census, I heard the distinct drumming of a territorial male far away on a hillside.  I am not sure how to embed sound files in a blog, but visit xeno canto to hear the unique calls and drumming of the Williamson's Sapsucker.

Williamson's Sapsucker - male

Williamson's Sapsuckers - males in territorial display

All locations in Idaho where Williamson's Sapsuckers have ever been reported on E-bird

(yellow markers are most recent sightings reported, near Island Park, Idaho)
Click for interactive map

Come back tomorrow for a post about the remaining 5 woodpecker species!