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9 Woodpeckers in Wyoming (with Photos)

There are many different species of woodpeckers in North America, and you can potentially find 9 of those woodpeckers in Wyoming. In this article we’ll take a look at each species and touch on where and when you might spot one. At the end of the article, we also give you a few tips on how to attract woodpeckers to your yard

9 Species of Woodpeckers in Wyoming

The 9 species of woodpeckers in Wyoming are the American three-toed woodpecker, black-backed woodpecker, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, Lewis’s woodpecker, northern flicker, red-headed woodpecker, red-naped sapsucker and Williamson’s sapsucker. 

1. American Three-toed Woodpecker 

three toed woodpecker on tree trunk
American Three-toed Woodpecker | image by Ron Knight via Flickr | CC BY 2.0
  • Scientific name: Picoides dorsalis
  • Length: 8.3-9.1 in
  • Weight: 1.6-2.4 oz
  • Wingspan: 14.6-15.3 in

These woodpeckers are much  more common in Canada. Aside from a few other states in the west, Wyoming is actually one of the few states that the American three-toed woodpecker can be found.

Look for them in mountainous areas and the national forests, especially in northwestern parts of the state. They prefer damaged, old growth forests with lots of dead or even burned trees where they can extract insect larvae and mine for bugs easily.

The majority of woodpeckers have 4 toes. However as the name suggests, these woodpeckers have just 3 toes. It is believed that the three-toed woodpecker is able to lean back further and strike a more powerful blow to its target because of the leverage having just 3 toes affords it.


2. Black-backed Woodpecker 

Photo Credit: Mike Laycock, National Park Service | CC 2.0
  • Scientific name: Picoides arcticus
  • Length: 9.1 in
  • Weight: 2.1-3.1 oz 
  • Wingspan: 15.8-16.5 in

Black-backed woodpeckers are most often found in burned forests between roughly 1 to 8 years old. The solid black plumage on their backs helps them blend into charred trees in forests where wildfires had occurred. Black-backed woodpeckers flock to these burned areas to feast on the larvae of wood-boring beetles and other insects, and will occupy these territories for years. 

It is not known how these woodpeckers locate burned forests, but they will sometimes arrive just weeks after a fire. This species only has three toes, like the American three-toed woodpecker. They will also forage in un-burnt forests, following populations of bark beetles.  

Find them any time of year in the forests at the northern corners of the state, especially where fires have occurred in recent years. 


3. Downy Woodpecker 

downy woodpecker on suet feeder
Downy Woodpecker on suet feeder | image by: birdfeederhub
  • Scientific name: Dryobates pubescens
  • Length: 5.5-6.7 in  
  • Weight: 0.7-1.0 oz  
  • Wingspan: 9.8-11.8 in

You can find these tiny woodpeckers everywhere throughout Wyoming all year. They are very common throughout almost all of the U.S. and are the smallest species of woodpeckers in North America. The downy is only about the size of a sparrow, and can be identified by the white spots on their backs, and pure white chest and belly. Males have a red patch at the back of their head. 

The downy is the woodpecker species most likely to visit backyard bird feeders. They love suet but also eat a variety of seeds like sunflower seeds, millet, and peanuts. You may even see them visiting your hummingbird feeder, where their small beak allows them access to the sugar water. 


4. Hairy Woodpecker

Image: insitedesigns | pixabay.com
  • Scientific name: Dryobates villosus
  • Length: 7.1-10.2 in
  • Weight: 1.4-3.4 oz
  • Wingspan: 13.0-16.1 in

You may be thinking that this woodpecker looks an awful lot like the downy. Hairy woodpeckers often occur in the same areas as downy’s across the U.S. and cause plenty of confusion when you’re trying to identify which is which. 

The hairy is significantly larger, and has a longer beak relative to its body size than the downy. We have an article here that can help you learn how to tell them apart.

These two woodpeckers are very similar in all ways from habitat to diet. They can be found throughout Wyoming all year. The hairy woodpecker tends to be a little more shy of humans, and while they will visit backyard suet feeders, they aren’t as commonly seen as the downy.


5. Lewis’s Woodpecker 

lewis's woodpecker perched on dead branch
Lewis’s Woodpecker | image by Channel City Camera Club via Flickr | CC BY 2.0
  • Scientific name: Melanerpes lewis
  • Length: 10.2-11.0 in
  • Weight: 3.1-4.9 oz
  • Wingspan:  19.3-20.5 in

Lewis’s woodpeckers may be seen throughout Wyoming during the spring and summer breeding season. They tend to stay in pine forests and forests that have been burned, but their populations are often unpredictable.

After breeding season they travel around looking for stores of acorns and nuts, so their fall-winter population often ends up in different locations year-to-year. They take these foods and store them in crevices to last them throughout the winter. 

Unlike a lot of other woodpeckers, Lewis’s woodpeckers catch insects in midair. They have broad, rounded wings that gives their flight a graceful, crow-like quality.

Their coloration is also unique considering most woodpeckers have black and white bodies. Lewis’s are quite colorful, with a pink belly, red patch on the face, and a dark, iridescent green on their back and wings. 


6. Northern Flicker 

split screen comparison of yellow shafted and red shafted flicker
Two Northern Flicker Varieties
  • Scientific name: Colaptes auratus
  • Length: 11.0-12.2 in
  • Weight: 3.9-5.6 oz
  • Wingspan: 16.5-20.1 in

These medium to large sized woodpeckers are quite common in backyards throughout the United States. In my opinion they are also among some of the most colorful birds in North America.

Flickers feed mainly on insects and unlike other woodpeckers, often like to find them on the ground rather than trees. Identify them by the black spots on their bellies, solid black bib, barred black and gray wings, and light brown and gray head. Males will have a “mustache” while females do not. 

There are two color varieties in the U.S., the “yellow-shafted” and the “red-shafted”. Wyoming lies in the area where the ranges of the two subspecies meet, so you can see both here. The main difference is the color underneath the wings and tail, and the color of the mustache on the males. You may even seen something that looks like a combination of both, as they sometimes interbreed and form a hybrid.

Northern flickers are common throughout Wyoming all year, and may visit backyard feeders for suet.


7. Red-headed Woodpecker 

red-headed woodpecker
Image: Dave Menke, USFWS | pixino.com
  • Scientific name: Melanerpes erythrocephalus
  • Length: 7.5-9.1 in   
  • Weight: 2.0-3.2 oz  
  • Wingspan: 16.5 in

Wyoming is along the far western edge of the red-headed woodpeckers range. They tend to only be seen in the eastern half of the state, during the spring and summer breeding season.

The red-headed woodpecker is easily identified by its completely red/crimson head, and black and white color-blocked body. They will sometimes come to suet feeders, but are less common backyard visitors than some other types of woodpeckers. Aside from suet they will also eat various nuts and fruits.

They are one of only four species of woodpeckers that actively store their food in caches for later use, their favorite being acorns and beech nuts. These woodpeckers takes it a step further though, and will cover the food up with bark or wood to better camouflage their stash.


8. Red-naped Sapsucker 

Red-naped sapsucker | Image: pixabay.com
  • Scientific name: Sphyrapicus nuchalis
  • Length: 7.5-8.3 in  
  • Weight: 1.1-2.3 oz
  • Wingspan: 16.1-16.9 in

Red-naped sapsuckers are very closely related to yellow-bellied sapsuckers and were even thought to be the same species until 1983, when researchers discovered they were in fact two different species. Both males and females have a red forehead, while males have a fully red throat and females have a white throat with red “necklace”. 

Like other sapsuckers, they drink sap from trees like aspen, birch, or pine, but also feed on insects. Neat rows of holes in a sap-producing tree is a good indicator that a sapsucker is in the area. 

Look for them in Wyoming early in the breeding season (mid-May), and early in the morning when they are most active. They remain in Wyoming for the summer, then head south out of the state in the fall. You can find them almost anywhere, but they tend to be absent from the eastern border of the state.


9. Williamson’s Sapsucker

williamson's sapsucker
Williamson’s Sapsucker (male) | photo by Yellowstone National Park via Flickr
  • Scientific name: Sphyrapicus thyroideus
  • Length: 8.3-9.8 in
  • Weight: 1.6-1.9 oz
  • Wingspan: 17 inches

Williamson’s sapsuckers are only found in a handful of midwestern states, Wyoming being one of them. Most sightings occurring in areas such as Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest and Bighorn National Forest. These sapsuckers only visit Wyoming during the breeding season, then head further south for the winter.

They feed primarily on the sap of coniferous trees, extracting it by drilling sap-wells. Males and females look very different. Males have black backs with bright yellow bellies and a touch of red on the chin. Females have brown heads with black and white striped bodies. 

Uncommon in backyards, Williamson’s sapsuckers are primarily found in mountainous forests. They roost in natural or excavated cavities and prefer nesting in a larger, older trees.