November 2002 Mystery Bird

This woodpecker was photographed 20 April 1999, at a nest at Lukeville, Arizona. She and her mate were feeding the babies in the nest in the tree. This location is well outside the known range of Nuttall's Woodpecker. I have added a smaller image of the male below. I was surprised by how dark the female appeared on the back, but Sibley (The Sibley Guide to Birds) illustrates two forms of female Ladder-backed, a darker adult and a paler adult. This is an example of a darker adult. In this case the most reliable field mark may be the extensive barring on the outer tail feathers of the Ladder-backed vs. Nuttall's.

In most areas, these species do not overlap, but in places like Inyo County, where Nuttall's occurs along the Owens River, and Ladder-backed in the surrounding desert, there has been much confusion and misunderstanding with regard to their distribution.

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