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The Black-backed Woodpecker is robin-sized, with a solid black back, barred flanks, and a white underside. Males have an orangey-yellow crown, while females have a solid black crown. Unlike most woodpeckers, the Black-backed Woodpecker has only three toes, two in the front, and one behind, rather than four. The orange marking is also a distinction of this Woodpecker, as most others have red markings on their heads.
Their preferred habitat in the Algonquin Highlands is beaver ponds, due to the fact that their initial flooding causes trees to die, and become infested with insects. Rather than drilling holes in trees, the Black-backed Woodpecker peels large flakes of bark off dead trees, exposing the insects they live on. Dead conifers with large spots of peeled bark usually indicate the presence of this bird in the area.
Like other woodpeckers, the Black-backed Woodpecker excavates a cavity in a tree, often close to the ground, in which it will lay around 4 white eggs. These cavities are later used by other cavity nesting birds such as the Tree Swallow.
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BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER
Picoides articus
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