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Home/Species/ Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Dryobates scalaris

(Wagler, 1829)

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

G5Secure Found in 41 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.100703
Element CodeABNYF07010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderPiciformes
FamilyPicidae
GenusDryobates
Synonyms
Picoides scalaris(Wagler, 1829)
Other Common Names
Carpintero Mexicano (ES) ladder-backed woodpecker (EN) Pic arlequin (FR)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Formerly (AOU 1983, 1998) placed in Picoides. Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA (Weibel and Moore 2002a, 2002b;Winkler et al. 2014; Fuchs and Pons 2015; and Shakya et al. 2017) have shown that the genus Picoides is polyphyletic (AOU 2018). Constitutes a superspecies with P. nuttallii (AOU 1998).
Conservation Status
Review Date1996-12-02
Change Date1996-12-02
Range Extent Comments
Resident from southern California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, southeastern Colorado, southwestern Kansas, and western Oklahoma south through Texas, most of Mexico (including Baja California), and Belize; also locally in Honduras and northeastern Nicaragua.
Threat Impact Comments
Decline possibly is related to mesquite and brush control (chaining, herbicides, bulldozing) (USFWS 1987).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Deserts, arid scrub, riparian woodland, mesquite, scrub oak, pinyon-juniper woodland, pine-oak association, pine savanna, thickets, shade trees in towns and rural areas. Digs nest hole in rotted stub or in dead or dying branch of various trees, also in saguaro, agave, yucca, fence post, utility pole; nest 3-8 m above ground.

Reproduction

Clutch size usually is 4-5. Incubation, by both sexes, lasts about 13 days.
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedShrubland/chaparralSavannaSuburban/orchard
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
KansasS1Yes
ArizonaS5Yes
NevadaS4Yes
New MexicoS5B,S5NYes
UtahS2Yes
ColoradoS3Yes
Navajo NationSNRYes
TexasS5BYes
CaliforniaSNRYes
OklahomaSNRYes
Roadless Areas (41)
Arizona (17)
AreaForestAcres
Black CrossTonto National Forest5,966
BoulderTonto National Forest40,359
Butterfly Roadless AreaCoronado National Forest42,296
Catalina St. Pk. Roadless AreaCoronado National Forest951
ChiricahuaCoronado National Forest76,876
GaliuroCoronado National Forest28,333
GoldfieldTonto National Forest15,257
Happy ValleyCoronado National Forest7,972
Lime CreekTonto National Forest42,568
MazatzalTonto National Forest16,942
Middle Romero WSRCoronado National Forest60
Oracle RoadlessCoronado National Forest22,365
PinalenoCoronado National Forest130,920
Santa TeresaCoronado National Forest8,929
TumacacoriCoronado National Forest44,594
Upper Romero WsrCoronado National Forest150
WhetstoneCoronado National Forest20,728
California (4)
AreaForestAcres
Cactus Springs BSan Bernardino National Forest3,106
CajonSan Bernardino National Forest7,548
Hixon FlatSan Bernardino National Forest8,095
Pleasant ViewAngeles National Forest26,395
Idaho (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekCaribou-Targhee National Forest118,582
Nevada (1)
AreaForestAcres
Charleston - CarpenterHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest17,828
New Mexico (15)
AreaForestAcres
Arroyo de la PresaSanta Fe National Forest6,178
Bull CanyonCarson National Forest11,512
Contiguous To Gila Wilderness & Primitive AreaGila National Forest79,049
El InviernoSanta Fe National Forest29,927
Gila BoxGila National Forest23,759
Juan de Gabaldon GrantSanta Fe National Forest8,023
LemitasSanta Fe National Forest8,129
Ortega PeakLincoln National Forest11,545
Pacheco CanyonSanta Fe National Forest1,012
Peloncillo (NM)Coronado National Forest43,339
RendijaSanta Fe National Forest2,176
South Guadalupe MountainsLincoln National Forest20,930
Thompson PeakSanta Fe National Forest33,001
Virgin CanyonSanta Fe National Forest6,068
West Face Sacramento MountainsLincoln National Forest41,176
South Dakota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Indian CreekBuffalo Gap National Grassland24,666
Texas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Big CreekNational Forests in Texas1,447
Utah (1)
AreaForestAcres
CottonwoodDixie National Forest6,754
References (32)
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