Coastal Carolina

Picoides pubescens HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 5.75 inches * Very small black and white woodpecker * Very short bill * Mostly black head set off by broad white supercilium and lower border to auriculars * Black nape * White back * Black wings with white spotting on coverts and flight feathers * White underparts * Black rump * Black tail with white outer tail feathers barred with black Adult male: * Red spot at rear of head Similar species: Other small black and white woodpeckers such as Ladder-backed, Strickland's, Red-cockaded and Nuttall's have longer bills, barred backs, and patterning on the chests. Black-backed woodpecker is easily distinguished by the darker face, black back, and barred flanks. Three-toed Woodpecker is best distinguished by the darker face and barred flanks, since some races can have white backs. Juvenile Hairy Woodpeckers on the Queen Charlotte Islands have barred outer tail feathers and such birds should be carefully separated from Downy Woodpeckers by their larger size and larger bills. Hairy Woodpecker is most similar, but is larger, with a longer bill, entirely white outer tail feathers, and a different call.

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Picoides villosus HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 7.5 inches * Medium-sized black and white woodpecker * Fairly long bill * Mostly black head set off by broad white supercilium and lower border to auriculars * Black nape * White back * Black wings with white spotting on coverts and flight feathers * White underparts * Black rump * Black tail with white outer tail feathers * Significant racial variation can result in juveniles with barred outer tail feathers (Queen Charlotte Islands), juveniles with barred backs and flanks (Maritime provinces) and birds with brown feathering replacing the black (Pacific Northwest). Adult male: * Red spot at rear of head Similar species: Other black and white woodpeckers such as Ladder-backed, Strickland's, Red-cockaded and Nuttall's have shorter bills, barred backs, and patterning on the chests. Black-backed woodpecker is easily distinguished by the darker face, black back, and barred flanks. Three-toed Woodpecker is best distinguished by the darker face and barred flanks, since some races can have white backs. In the Maritimes juvenile Hairy Woodpeckers can more closely resemble Three-toed Woodpeckers and it is best to concentrate on differences in facial pattern and bill size when identifying birds in this area. Similarly, juvenile Hairy Woodpeckers on the Queen Charlotte Islands can have barred outer tail feathers and such birds should be carefully separated from Downy Woodpeckers by their larger size and larger bills. Downy Woodpecker is most similar, and differs only in its smaller size, proportionally smaller bill, barred outer tail feathers, and different call.

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HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 10.5-11 inches * Large woodpecker * Brown back and wings barred with black * Black crescent on upper breast * Beige breast and belly spotted heavily with black * White rump (obvious in flight) * Tail dark above * Two color forms, formerly separate species "Yellow-shafted" * Breeds in eastern United States and Canada * Tail and underwings are entirely yellow below, and retricies and primaries have yellow shafts * Red crescent on nape * Gray cap and nape * Tan face, chin, and throat * Adult male has black whisker "Red-shafted" * Breeds in western United States and Canada * Tail and underwings are entirely red below, and retricies and primaries have red shafts * Brown crown * Gray face * Adult male has red whisker Similar species: The Gilded Flicker can be told from the "Red-shafted Flicker" by its yellow underwings and from the "Yellow-shafted Flicker" by its lack of red at the rear of the head, pale brown cap and pale gray face, a paler brown back, and the male sports a red rather than black whisker.

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Colaptes auratus HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 10.5-11 inches * Large woodpecker * Brown back and wings barred with black * Black crescent on upper breast * Beige breast and belly spotted heavily with black * White rump (obvious in flight) * Tail dark above * Two color forms, formerly separate species "Yellow-shafted" * Breeds in eastern United States and Canada * Tail and underwings are entirely yellow below, and retricies and primaries have yellow shafts * Red crescent on nape * Gray cap and nape * Tan face, chin, and throat * Adult male has black whisker "Red-shafted" * Breeds in western United States and Canada * Tail and underwings are entirely red below, and retricies and primaries have red shafts * Brown crown * Gray face * Adult male has red whisker Similar species: The Gilded Flicker can be told from the "Red-shafted Flicker" by its yellow underwings and from the "Yellow-shafted Flicker" by its lack of red at the rear of the head, pale brown cap and pale gray face, a paler brown back, and the male sports a red rather than black whisker.

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Dryocopus pileatus HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 15 inches * Very large (crow-sized) black and white woodpecker * Prominent red crest at rear of head * White throat * Entirely black body plumage at rest except a white line that extends from bill down sides of neck to upper flanks * In flight shows pale bases to primaries on upperwing and entirely white underwing covert Adult male: * Red forehead * Red malar area Adult female: * Black forehead * Black malar stripe Similar species: No other living woodpecker could be confused with the Pileated.

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HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 15 inches * Very large (crow-sized) black and white woodpecker * Prominent red crest at rear of head * White throat * Entirely black body plumage at rest except a white line that extends from bill down sides of neck to upper flanks * In flight shows pale bases to primaries on upperwing and entirely white underwing covert Adult male: * Red forehead * Red malar area Adult female: * Black forehead * Black malar stripe Similar species: No other living woodpecker could be confused with the Pileated.

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Melanerpes carolinus HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 8.5 inches * Medium-sized woodpecker * Pale gray face, throat, breast, and belly * Back strongly barred with black and white * Black wings barred and spotted with white * White bases to the primaries appear as white crescent in the hand in flight * White rump and uppertail coverts with sparse dark markings * Dark tail with black and white barring on the central retricies Adult male: * Red cap extending from bill to nape Adult female: * Red nape patch, gray crown, and red spot above bill Similar species: Gila Woodpecker is darker brown about the head and belly, lacks the red nape and spot above bill. Golden-fronted Woodpecker overlaps in Texas where hybrids are known so identifications should be made with caution and attention to all details of plumage. Note the Red-bellied's red nape and barred central retricies in all plumages.

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Melanerpes erythrocephalus HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 7.5 inches * Sexes similar * Fairly large, strikingly black and white woodpecker Adult: * Bright red head and neck * White breast, belly, rump, and vent * Black back and wings with prominent white secondaries visible in flight and at rest * Black tail Juvenile: * Mottled brown head and neck * White breast, belly, and rump variably marked with brown streaking * Dark brown back and upperwings with paler edgings * White secondaries broken by brown lateral bars * Dark brown tail Similar species: Entirely red head of adult should easily separate it from all but Red-breasted Sapsucker (which does not overlap in range, and has paterned back, yellow belly, and a different wing pattern). Note the Red-headed Woodpecker's different position of the white wing patch (especially in flight), white belly, and larger size. It may be confused with the largely dissimilar Red-bellied Woodpecker at times, but attention to the gray face and throat, and barred back and wings of the Red-bellied should eliminate any confusion.

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Sphyrapicus varius HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 7.75? inches * Medium-sized woodpecker * Black head traversed by white postocular stripe extending down neck * Red forehead * Pale moustachial stripe offsets black chest and complete, thick black border to throat * Black back with faint white bars * Black wings, with white barring on flight feathers and bold white patch on wing coverts * Yellow breast fades to whitish lower belly and vent, and is streaked sparsely about the flanks * White rump * Dark tail with black and white barring on centralmost and outermost retricies * Very rarely shows red nape spot Adult male: * Red throat Adult female: * White throat Juvenile: * Wings and back patterned more or less like adult * Head brownish and streaked, with weak postocular stripe and moustachial stripe * Reddish wash on forehead * Pale chest barred heavily with brown * Yellowish belly sparsely barred and streaked with brown * Juvenal plumage retained until first spring Similar species: White patch on wing coverts sets sapsuckers apart from all other woodpeckers. Male Yellow-bellied Sapsukers are distinguished from male Red-naped only by the red nape spot and incomplete frame to red throat of Red-naped Sapsucker. Females are somewhat easier to distinguish, as they differ in these characters, as well as having quite different throat patterns (white in Yellow-bellied, red and white in Red-naped). It is worth noting that any sapsucker in juvenal plumage after late fall must be a Yellow-bellied. Beware of rare hybrid Yellow-bellied x Red-naped Sapsuckers, and the occasional Yellow-bellied Sapsucker which may show a red nape spot.

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