White-Headed Woodpecker

• Size: 8.3-9.1" long // 1.9-2.3"wingspan
• Diet: pine seeds
• Seasonal Habits: Short Distance Migration
• Temperament: Aggressive during breeding season

The White-headed Woodpecker is an unusual woodpecker restricted to mountainous pine forests of the western states and British Columbia. It's a glossy black bird with a gleaming white head and neck, augmented in males with a red crown patch. White-headed Woodpeckers feed heavily on large pine seeds, and are most associated with old-growth ponderosa pine and sugar pine forests. They also often use recently burned areas. They tend not to drill into wood to get insects, but rather flake away bark or probe into needle clusters.