Dryobates scalaris

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Cladus: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Ordo: Piciformes

Familia: Picidae
Subfamilia: Picinae
Genus: Dryobates
Species: Dryobates scalaris
Subspecies: D. s. cactophilus – D. s. eremicus – D. s. graysoni – D. s. leucoptilurus – D. s. lucasanus – D. s. parvus – D. s. scalaris – D. s. sinaloensis – D. s. soulei
Name

Dryobates scalaris (Wagler, 1829)
Synonyms

Dendrocopos scalaris (Wagler, 1829)
Picoides scalaris (Wagler, 1829)
References
Primary references

Wagler, J.G. 1829. Beyträge und Bemerkungen zu dem ersten Bande seines Systema Avium. Isis von Oken 22(5): 505–519 BHL Reference page. col.511 BHL

Additional references

Fuchs, J. & Pons, J-M. 2015. A new classification of the pied woodpeckers assemblage (Dendropicini, Picidae) based on a comprehensive multi-locus phylogeny. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 88: 28–37. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2015.03.016 ResearchGate Reference page.

Vernacular names
Deutsch: Texasspecht
English: Ladder-backed Woodpecker
español: Pico mexicano
suomi: Meksikonkirjotikka
français: Pic arlequin
日本語: シマアカゲラ
Nederlands: Ladderspecht

The ladder-backed woodpecker (Dryobates scalaris) is a North American woodpecker.
Description

Dryobates scalaris (upper), and Nuttall's Woodpecker, Dryobates nuttallii(lower),

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.
Female - South Padre Island, Texas

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 into tree-trunks with its chisel-like bill to hunt for insects and their larva, but it also feeds on fruit produced by cacti.

Range and habitat

The ladder-backed woodpecker is fairly common in dry brushy areas and thickets and has a rather large range. The species can be found year-round over the southwestern United States (north to extreme southern Nevada and extreme southeastern Colorado), most of Mexico, and locally in Central America as far south as Nicaragua.
References

BirdLife International (2017). "Dryobates scalaris". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017. IUCN: e.T22681152A118587827. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22681152A118587827.en. Retrieved 14 January 2018.

Howell, Steve N. G.; Sophie Webb (1995). A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-854012-4.