Head to head
White-headed Woodpecker vs Three-toed Woodpecker
The white-headed woodpecker and three-toed woodpecker both depend on coniferous forest, but they have specialised in feeding on very different resources within it.
| White-headed Woodpecker | Three-toed Woodpecker | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Dryobates albolarvatus | Picoides tridactylus |
| Primary diet | Pine seeds | Bark beetle larvae |
| Toe count | Four | Three |
| Native range | Western North America | North America, Europe, Asia |
| Body colour | Black body, white head | Black and white, yellow crown (male) |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Population trend | Decreasing | Stable |
| Habitat | Forest | Forest |
White-headed Woodpecker vs Three-toed Woodpecker: common questions
How do the diets of the white-headed woodpecker and three-toed woodpecker differ?
The white-headed woodpecker feeds heavily on pine seeds, an unusually plant-based diet for a woodpecker, while the three-toed woodpecker specialises almost entirely on bark beetle larvae extracted from dead conifers.
Why does the three-toed woodpecker have only three toes, unlike the white-headed woodpecker?
This species has only three toes on each foot rather than the usual four found on the white-headed woodpecker and most other birds, an adaptation that helps it grip tightly while stripping bark from dead conifers.
Do the white-headed woodpecker and three-toed woodpecker share the same range?
They overlap in parts of western North America, but the three-toed woodpecker has a far wider range extending across northern forests in Europe and Asia as well, while the white-headed woodpecker is restricted to western North America.