Picoides dorsalis
Silhouette: Gareth Monger · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The American three-toed woodpecker (Picoides dorsalis) is a medium-sized woodpecker (family Picidae), which is native to North America. This woodpecker has a length between 21 – 23 cm (8.3 – 9.1 in) and a wingspan between 37 – 39 cm (14.6 – 15.3 in). Males have an average weight of 58.3 g (2.06 oz), and females are slightly smaller, averaging 52 g (1.8 oz). Its maximum lifespan in the wild is 6 years. It closely resembles the black-backed woodpecker, which is also three-toed. Until recently, it was considered to be the same species as the Eurasian three-toed woodpecker, P. tridactylus. Adults are black on the head, wings and rump, and white from the throat to the belly; the flanks are white with black bars. The back is white with black bars and the tail is black with the white outer feathers barred with black. The adult male has a yellow cap.
The breeding habitat is coniferous forests across western Canada, Alaska and the western and extreme northeastern United States. It has also been seen in Michigan's upper peninsula, and has been recorded breeding in the extreme north of Wisconsin and Minnesota on extremely rare occasions. The female lays 3 to 7... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Denali National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Katmai National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Kluane National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an American Three-toed Woodpecker sighting in Rocky Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 505 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 86th most-seen of the 223 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May, July–August and November–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an American Three-toed Woodpecker in Rocky Mountain National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–April, June and September–October, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most American Three-toed Woodpecker sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate American Three-toed Woodpecker sightings, Rocky Mountain National Park ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Banff National Park (Canada, about 20%), Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (United States, about 20%) and Jasper National Park (Canada, about 10%).
Same family: Picidae
The closest relatives of the American Three-toed Woodpecker that you can see in Rocky Mountain National Park (family Picidae, Woodpeckers) are Northern Flicker (about 50%), Hairy Woodpecker (about 40%) and Red-naped Sapsucker (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the American Three-toed Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Rocky Mountain National Park (505 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.
