American Three-toed Woodpecker
Learn to identify the American Three-toed Woodpecker by ear. Master the "brrr-r-r-r" phrase and tell it apart from similar species.
What the American Three-toed Woodpecker sounds like
A short, dry roll on wood, often the best clue in dense spruce forest. It starts briskly and trails off.
How to tell it apart
Where you'll hear it
Found across Alaska and Canada, then south through high conifer forests of the Cascades and Rockies. In the Lower 48 it is a mountain bird, and it is virtually absent from California and the Sierra Nevada.
Boreal and high-elevation conifer forests, especially spruce, fir, tamarack, and lodgepole pine. It favors old woods with plenty of dying or beetle-hit trees.
A year-round resident that does not truly migrate, though it may shift locally to places with fresh insect outbreaks. Spring brings more drumming and nesting activity, while winter birds often forage quietly on dead trunks.
How to recognize it by sight
A quiet little woodpecker of cold forests, dressed in crisp black and white. Males flash a bright yellow crown patch, and both sexes spend their days probing dead spruce and fir for hidden insects.