Woodpeckers (Picidae)
Baby ladder-backed woodpeckers: from egg to fledgling
A Ladder-backed Woodpecker lays 2–7 eggs. They hatch after 13 days, and the young leave the nest about 20 days later — about 33 days from egg to fledgling.
- Eggs per clutch
- 2–7 eggs
- Incubation
- 13 days
- Time in the nest
- about 20 days
- Egg to fledgling
- About 33 days
- Broods per year
- 1 per season
- Nest
- Cavity in yucca, agave or mesquite
- Uses nest boxes
- No
Stage by stage
- Eggs (13 days): 2–7 eggs per clutch. Most songbirds start incubating when the last or second-to-last egg is laid, so the young hatch close together; owls and hawks start with the first egg, so their chicks hatch days apart.
- Nestlings (about 20 days): the young hatch with little or no down and their eyes closed. They grow fast on a diet the parents bring in. In the breeding season ladder-backed woodpeckers mainly eat beetle larvae and ants.
- Fledglings: after leaving the nest, young ladder-backed woodpeckers are fully feathered but short-tailed and clumsy. They spend days to weeks on low branches or the ground while the parents keep feeding them.
- More broods: 1 per season.
When ladder-backed woodpeckers nest, state by state
Nesting starts earliest in Arizona (Mar) and latest in Colorado (Apr). Months are estimates from regional breeding data shifted for latitude.
| State / province | Nesting season |
|---|---|
| Arizona | Mar–Jun |
| California | Mar–Jun |
| Colorado | Apr–Jun |
| Kansas | Apr–Jun |
| Nevada | Apr–Jun |
| New Mexico | Apr–Jun |
| Oklahoma | Apr–Jun |
| Texas | Mar–Jun |
Found a baby Ladder-backed Woodpecker?
- Feathered, hopping, can grip your finger: a fledgling. This is a normal stage. Keep pets and children away and watch from a distance; the parents are usually close by.
- Bare skin or only pin feathers: a nestling that fell. If you can see the nest, put it back. Touching it won't make the parents abandon it — that is a myth.
- Injured, cold, covered in flies, or caught by a cat: contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. In the US and Canada, ahnow.org finds the nearest one.
- Don't give water or food. Baby birds can choke, and the wrong food can kill them.
More about ladder-backed woodpeckers
Frequently asked
How long do baby ladder-backed woodpeckers stay in the nest?
About about 20 days after hatching. Eggs take 13 days to hatch, so it is roughly 33 days from the last egg to the young leaving.
How many eggs does a Ladder-backed Woodpecker lay?
2–7 eggs per clutch, with 1 per season.
Where do ladder-backed woodpeckers nest?
Cavity in yucca, agave or mesquite.
What should I do if I find a baby Ladder-backed Woodpecker on the ground?
If it has feathers and hops, it is a fledgling and its parents are almost certainly nearby — leave it. If it is naked or has pin feathers, put it back in the nest if you can. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator if it is injured.