---
title: "Ladder-backed Woodpecker"
description: "Dryobates scalaris — Birds. The ladder-backed woodpecker (Dryobates scalaris) is a North American woodpecker."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/ladder-backed-woodpecker
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Ladder-backed Woodpecker

> Dryobates scalaris — Birds. The ladder-backed woodpecker (Dryobates scalaris) is a North American woodpecker.

- Scientific name: *Dryobates scalaris*
- Category: `birds` (Birds)
- Habitats: `forest` (Forest), `savanna` (Savanna), `desert` (Desert)
- iNaturalist observations: 29495
- Wikidata: [Q27074907](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q27074907)
- iNaturalist taxon: [792986](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/792986)

## Names

- en: Ladder-backed Woodpecker
- de: Texasspecht
- es: Carpintero mexicano
- fr: Pic arlequin
- it: Picchio scalare
- nl: Ladderspecht
- pl: Dzięcioł pasiasty

## Countries with the most observations

US (17722), MX (10506), GT (9), HN (8), SV (6), BZ (4)

## Summary

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

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladder-backed_woodpecker

## Photo

![Ladder-backed Woodpecker](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/ladder-backed-woodpecker/medium.jpg)

Photo: msieges · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/347026010

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/ladder-backed-woodpecker?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).