Population status

Black-backed Woodpecker
(Picoides arcticus)

No single survey adequately covers the remote northern forests where the Black-backed Woodpecker breeds. The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) provides the best source of information, supplemented by the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), which covers the wintering population in the United States. Though the majority of woodpeckers breed in Canada, CBC results also include birds from the United States. BBS results suggest that the population has increased by over 100%. CBC results suggest that the population has shown little overall change. Taking both results into account, and considering that there are no data suggesting a population decrease, the Black-backed Woodpecker is thought to have experienced a moderate increase in population. However, this assessment is considered to be of medium reliability because of the lack of coverage and the disagreement between survey results. The Black-backed Woodpecker is at an acceptable level relative to its national population goal (see BBS Canada graph below).

Population goal and acceptable levels of variation

Species/group	Goal	Lower level	Upper level
Black-backed Woodpecker	Mean abundance (2008-2012)	10th percentile of observed abundance (1970-2012)	Not applicable

Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) - Canadian analysis

Additional information on: Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) - Canadian analysis

View definitions of table column headings being used by: Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) - Canadian analysis

Table 1: Population trends by geographic area
Geographic area	Time Period ^{Table 1 - footnote 1}	Annual trend ^{Table 1 - footnote 2}	Limits
Geographic area	Time Period ^{Table 1 - footnote 1}	Annual trend ^{Table 1 - footnote 2}	Lower	Upper
Canada Select to view graph of the geographic area: Canada 1970-2016; Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) - Canadian analysis	1970-2016	1.7	-0.4	3.7
Boreal Softwood Shield Select to view graph of the geographic area: Boreal Softwood Shield 1970-2016; Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) - Canadian analysis	1970-2016	2.2	-0.6	5
Boreal Hardwood Transition Select to view graph of the geographic area: Boreal Hardwood Transition 1970-2016; Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) - Canadian analysis	1970-2016	0.3	-2.2	3.2
Atlantic Northern Forest Select to view graph of the geographic area: Atlantic Northern Forest 1970-2016; Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) - Canadian analysis	1970-2016	-0.2	-2.4	2.1
North America Select to view graph of the geographic area: North America 1970-2016; Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) - Canadian analysis	1970-2016	1.7	0	3.2

Christmas Bird Count (CBC)

Additional information on: Christmas Bird Count (CBC)

View definitions of table column headings being used by: Christmas Bird Count (CBC)

Table 2: Population trends by geographic area
Geographic area	Time Period	Annual Trend ^{Table 2 - footnote 1}	Limits
Geographic area	Time Period	Annual Trend ^{Table 2 - footnote 1}	Lower	Upper
North America Select to view graph of the geographic area: North America 1970-2016; Christmas Bird Count (CBC)	1970-2016	-0.3	-1.9	1.2

References

Rota, C.T., M.A. Rumble, C.P Lehman, D.C. Kesler, and J.J. Millspaugh. 2015. Apparent foraging success reflects habitat quality in an irruptive species, the Black-backed Woodpecker. Condor 117(2):178-191. Rota, C.T., M.A. Rumble, C.P Lehman, D.C. Kesler, and J.J. Millspaugh. 2015. Apparent foraging success reflects habitat quality in an irruptive species, the Black-backed Woodpecker. Condor 117(2):178-191. (Link)
Tremblay, J.A., R.D. Dixon, V.A. Saab, P. Pyle, and M. A. Patten. 2016. Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus), version 3.0. In: The Birds of North America (P.G. Rodewald, ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA. Tremblay, J.A., R.D. Dixon, V.A. Saab, P. Pyle, and M. A. Patten. 2016. Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus), version 3.0. In: The Birds of North America (P.G. Rodewald, ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA. (Link)