Types of Woodpeckers

Woodpecker Resources Woodpecker Pictures Types of Birds

Woodpeckers belong to the family Picidae, and, with the exception of Australia and the Polar regions, they can be found in forest areas around the world.

Over two hundred different woodpecker species are documents world wide with about twenty different species documented in the United States, divided into five genera.

Picoides genus

• Arizona Woodpecker (Picoides arizonae)
• Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus)
• Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)
• Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus)
• Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris)
• Nuttall's Woodpecker (Picoides nuttallii)
• Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis)
• Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus)
• White-headed Woodpecker (Picoides albolarvatus)

Melanerpes genus

• Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)
• Gila Woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis)
• Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons)
• Lewis's Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis)
• Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)
• Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)

Sphryapicus genus

• Williamson's Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus thyroideus)
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)
• Red-breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber)
• Red-naped Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis)

Colaptes genus

• Gilded Flicker (Colaptes chrysoides)
• Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)

Pileatus Genus

• Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

Most woodpecker species in the United States have relatively healthy populations, althought there are a couple major exceptions.

The Red-cockaded Woodpecker, for example, once common in the Southeast, has been classified as endangered since 1970, due primarily to habitat loss. A variety of public and private organizations now actively manage their populations, with a goal of increasing and/or stablilzing them.

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker has received much attention since 2006. Once thought to be extinct, reported sitings during the 2006 calander year in Arkansas and Florida, have renewed interest in the bird. Unfortunately no additional sitings of the Ivory Billed have been documented since the initial claims.

The links in the box point to pictures and descriptions of a variety of woodpecker species.

© 2004-2007. Patricia A. Michaels