Dryobates scalaris
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Ladder-backed Woodpecker sighting in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 85 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 124th most-seen of the 237 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Ladder-backed Woodpecker in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in January, April, July and November, the lowest months.
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.
9th of 18
Of the 18 parks where we can rate Ladder-backed Woodpecker sightings, El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve ranks 9th at about 10%. The best odds are in Big Bend National Park (United States, about 60%), Guadalupe Mountains National Park (United States, about 50%) and Joshua Tree National Park (United States, about 40%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ladder-backed Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve (85 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.
