Dryobates scalaris
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The ladder-backed woodpecker (Dryobates scalaris) is a North American woodpecker. The ladder-backed woodpecker is a small woodpecker about 16.5 to 19 cm (6½ to 7½ inches) in length. It is primarily colored black and white, with a barred pattern on its back and wings resembling the rungs of a ladder. Its rump is speckled with black, as are its cream-colored underparts on the breast and flanks. Southern populations have duskier buff breasts and distinctly smaller bills. Adult males have a red crown patch that is smaller in immatures and lacking in adult females. The ladder-backed woodpecker is very similar in appearance to Nuttall's woodpecker, but has much less black on its head and upper back, and the range of the two species only intersects a minimal amount in southern California and northern Baja California. Hybrids are known.
Ladder-backed woodpeckers nest in cavities excavated from tree trunks, or in more arid environments a large cactus will do. The female lays between 2 and 7 eggs, which are plain white. The eggs are incubated by both sexes, but the nesting period and other details are unknown.
Like most other woodpeckers the ladder-backed woodpecker bores... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Celestún Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 8 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 9 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 10 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 12 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 14 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 16 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 17 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 18 | Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | Puebla | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Ciudad Juárez | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 9 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Ladder-backed Woodpecker sighting in Big Bend National Park on a given day, based on 3,286 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 270 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Ladder-backed Woodpecker in Big Bend National Park on a given day, against about 40% in January, the lowest month.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ladder-backed Woodpecker sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 18 parks where we can rate Ladder-backed Woodpecker sightings, Big Bend National Park has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Guadalupe Mountains National Park (United States, about 50%) and Joshua Tree National Park (United States, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Picidae
The closest relatives of the Ladder-backed Woodpecker that you can see in Big Bend National Park (family Picidae, Woodpeckers) are Acorn Woodpecker (about 40%), Golden-fronted Woodpecker (about 40%) and Northern Flicker (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ladder-backed Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Big Bend National Park (3,286 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
