Leuconotopicus albolarvatus

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: Leuconotopicus
Species: Leuconotopicus albolarvatus
Subspecies: L. a. albolarvatus – L. a. gravirostris
Name

Leuconotopicus albolarvatus (Cassin, 1850)

[original combination: Leuconerpes albolarvatus]
Synonyms

Picoides albolarvatus (Cassin, 1850)
References
Primary references

Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 5 p. 106

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
čeština: strakapoud mniší
dansk: Hvidhovedet Flagspætte
Deutsch: Weißkopfspecht
English: White-headed Woodpecker
Esperanto: Blankkapa buntpego
español: Pico Cabeciblanco
suomi: valkopäätikka
français: Pic à tête blanche
italiano: Picchio testabianca
日本語: シロガシラキツツキ, shirogashirakitsutsuki
Nederlands: Witkopspecht
norsk: Hvithodespett
polski: dzięcioł białogłowy
русский: Белоголовый дятел
slovenčina: ďateľ bielohlavý
svenska: Vithuvad hackspett
中文: 白头啄木鸟

The white-headed woodpecker (Leuconotopicus albolarvatus) is a non-migratory woodpecker that resides in pine forests of the mountains of western North America.
Description

It has a black body (approximately 20 cm (7.9 in) long) and white head. It has white primary feathers that form a crescent in flight. Males have a red spot at the back of the head.
Distribution and habitat

The range of the white-headed woodpecker stretches in the mountains from British Columbia through southern California. They form nests in dead trees or snags and reproduce once per year.
Taxonomy

Most of the range is occupied by the nominate subspecies. In the southern part of the range, L. a. gravirostris, which has a longer bill - especially in males - and tail, is only found on mountaintops of the San Gabriel Mountains to San Diego County. Birds on Mount Pinos are somewhat intermediate. mtDNA cytochrome b and ATP synthase subunit 6 sequence data confirms this arrangement and also suggests that the Mount Pinos birds are closer to L. a. gravirostris (Alexander & Burns, 2006). Apparently, the larger bill of the southern subspecies is an adaptation for being better able to feed on the large, spiny cones of Coulter pines (Pinus coulteri). Some taxonomic authorities, including the American Ornithological Society, place this species in the genus Dryobates.
A pair of white-headed woodpeckers playing around a tree near Lake Tahoe
References

BirdLife International (2016). "Leuconotopicus albolarvatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22681169A92895670. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22681169A92895670.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.

"NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 31 March 2022.

Alexander, Matthew P.; Burns, Kevin J. (2006). "Intraspecific Phylogeography and Adaptive Divergence in the White-headed Woodpecker". Condor. 108 (3): 489–508. doi:10.1650/0010-5422(2006)108[489:IPAADI]2.0.CO;2.