White-headed woodpecker: Difference between revisions
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The range of the White-headed Woodpecker stretches in the mountains from [[British Columbia]] through southern [[California]]. They form nests in dead trees or [[snag (ecology)|snag]]s and reproduce once per year. |
The range of the White-headed Woodpecker stretches in the mountains from [[British Columbia]] through southern [[California]]. They form nests in dead trees or [[snag (ecology)|snag]]s and reproduce once per year. |
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Most of the range is occupied by the [[nominate subspecies]]. ''P. a. gravirostris'', which has a longer bill - especially in males - and tail, is only found on mountaintops of |
Most of the range is occupied by the [[nominate subspecies]]. In the southern part of the range, ''P. a. gravirostris'', which has a longer bill - especially in males - and tail, is only found on mountaintops of the [[San Gabriel Mountains]] to [[San Diego County]]. Birds on [[Mount Pinos]] are somewhat intermediate. [[mtDNA]] [[cytochrome b|cytochrome ''b'']] and [[ATP synthase]] [[Protein subunit|subunit]] 6 [[DNA sequence|sequence]] data confirms this arrangement and also suggests that the Mount Pinos birds are closer to ''P. a. gravirostris'' (Alexander & Burns, 2006). Apparently, the larger bill of the southern subspecies is an [[adaptation]] for being better able to feed on the large, spiny cones of [[Coulter Pine]]s (''Pinus coulteri''). |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 18:23, 29 November 2012
| White-headed Woodpecker | |
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| Male White-headed Woodpecker | |
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| Species: | P. albolarvatus
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| Binomial name | |
| Picoides albolarvatus (Cassin, 1850)
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The White-headed Woodpecker (Picoides albolarvatus) is a non-migratory woodpecker that resides in pine forests of the mountains of western North America. It has a black body (approximately 20 cm long) and white head. It has white primary feathers that form a crescent in flight. Males have a red spot at the nape of the neck.
The range of the White-headed Woodpecker stretches in the mountains from British Columbia through southern California. They form nests in dead trees or snags and reproduce once per year.
Most of the range is occupied by the nominate subspecies. In the southern part of the range, P. a. gravirostris, which has a longer bill - especially in males - and tail, is only found on mountaintops of the San Gabriel Mountains to San Diego County. Birds on Mount Pinos are somewhat intermediate. mtDNA cytochrome b and ATP synthase subunit 6 sequence data confirms this arrangement and also suggests that the Mount Pinos birds are closer to P. a. gravirostris (Alexander & Burns, 2006). Apparently, the larger bill of the southern subspecies is an adaptation for being better able to feed on the large, spiny cones of Coulter Pines (Pinus coulteri).
References
- Alexander, Matthew P. & Burns, Kevin J. (2006): Intraspecific Phylogeography and Adaptive Divergence in the White-headed Woodpecker. Condor 108(3): 489–508. DOI: 10.1650/0010-5422(2006)108[489:IPAADI]2.0.CO;2 HTML abstract
External links and references
- USGS Forest and Rangeland birds
- California Department of Fish and Game
- Royal British Columbia Museum
- Audubon watchlist
- White-headed Woodpecker, a bibliographic resource
- White-headed Woodpecker photo gallery VIREO
- White-headed Woodpecker videos on the Internet Bird Collection