Click photo to see complete painting

Black-backed Woodpecker

Status Uncommon resident. Breeds. Most often found in areas remote from settlement. These restless birds may favour the dead and blackened trees left standing in burned-over woodlands, or stands of old-growth spruce in damp, mossy woods. Distribution is general but spotty throughout the province. These birds sometimes invade areas south of their normal range in large numbers, but we do not receive these major incursions. A few occur sometimes in spring and fall on our offshore islands, implying some local migratory movement.

Description Length: 24-25 cm. Adult male: A woodpecker with three instead of four toes. Back glossy black; underparts white with black bars on sides; outer tail feathers white; yellow crown patch. Adult female: Similar but lacks the yellow crown patch.

Breeding Nest: An excavation in a tree, usually at relatively low heights. A preference is shown for locations in stands of old-growth evergreens. Eggs: 3-5; glossy white and indistinguishable from those of the Hairy Woodpecker. A nest discovered by Robert Gibbon near his home in Stewiacke, Colchester County, was being excavated by the male on 10 May 1959; on 19 May the male was seen sitting on two eggs. Laying was probably incomplete. The nest was about 2.5 m from the ground in a live spruce that appeared to have a decayed core. The tree was growing on the edge of a clearing in damp, mossy woods of solid evergreen growth. Gibbon found a number of nests in the same area and gives a detailed account of the bird's breeding behaviour (Gibbon 1964). It has since been found nesting in Annapolis, Guysborough, Halifax and Shelburne counties.

Range Breeds in coniferous woodlands from Alaska to Labrador and Newfoundland, and south to New Hampshire, northern New York, northern Michigan and, in the mountains, to central California. It winters over much of its breeding range.

Remarks Except when encountered on its nesting grounds, this bird seems to be a restless creature, usually on the move as though dissatisfied with its present lot and seeking better feeding grounds further afield. The rather conspicuous yellow crown patch worn by the male and the solid, glossy black back common to both sexes readily distinguish it from the other woodpeckers that occur in Nova Scotia.