A distinctive desert bird, the gila woodpecker is critical to preserving the saguaro cactus as it feeds on pests and chisels away diseased flesh so the plant can heal. This behavior, as well as the bird's limited range, make it a popular target bird in the southwestern United States and western Mexico.

Common Name: Gila Woodpecker

Scientific Name: Melanerpes uropygialis

Scientific Family: Picidae

Appearance:

• Bill: Long, thick, straight, black

• Size: 8-10 inches long with 15-18-inch wingspan, round head, stiff tail
• Colors: Tan, black, white, red, yellow, buff-brown, gray-brown
• Markings: Males have a plain tan or buff-brown head, nape, face and underparts, with a bright red crown patch. The wings, back and rump are finely barred with horizontal black and white stripes, and the tips of the primary feathers are plain black. The central and outermost tail feathers are also black and white barred, but the sides of the tail are solid black. The lowest part of the abdomen shows a yellow wash, and the undertail coverts and lowest sides of the rear flanks also show black and white barring. In flight, an indistinct whitish patch can be seen at the base of the primary feathers. Females are similar to males, but lack the red crown patch and may be more gray-brown than tan overall. For both genders, the eyes are dark and the legs and feet are black.
  
  Juveniles look similar to adults but have less distinct barring. Young males have a mottled crown patch, and young females may show a red spot or two on the crown until they reach their mature plumage.

Foods: Insects, fruit, berries, eggs, seeds, lizards, small birds (See: Omnivorous)

Habitat and Migration:

These woodpeckers are common residents of arid scrub desert regions where there are abundant saguaro cacti and mesquite trees, including in suburban or urban areas. These birds do not migrate, and their year-round range stretches from southeastern California and the southern tip of Nevada through southern Arizona into the Baja peninsula and western and central Mexico.

Vagrant sightings are occasionally reported further north and west in California, including near San Diego and San Francisco.

Vocalizations:

These are noisy, conspicuous woodpeckers with a medium-high pitched "yip-yip-yip" call that is repeated in a long, even sequence and may have a raspy or squeaky quality. Regular "churr" calls are also part of their repertoire, as is long, steady drumming.

Behavior:

Because of their varied diet, gila woodpeckers use several types of foraging techniques including probing, hawking and gleaning, and they may forage at any level from the tops of trees and cacti to directly on the ground. In flight, they have an uneven undulating path with occasional pauses between wing beats.

Reproduction:

These are monogamous birds. As cavity-nesters, both genders excavate a nest in a saguaro cactus or mesquite tree, often several weeks before nesting actually begins. Nests are typically located 15-25 feet above the ground.

The eggs are plain white, and there are 2-7 eggs in each brood. Both parents share incubation duties for 12-14 days, and the altricial young remain in the nest and are fed by both parents for an additional 25-28 days after hatching. Once the juvenile birds leave the nest, they remain reliant on their parents for several more weeks as they gradually learn how to forage on their own.

A mated pair will produce 2-3 broods each year, and these birds occasionally hybridize with golden-fronted woodpeckers. After gila woodpeckers leave their nests, the abandoned cavities are used by a wide range of other owls, wrens and cavity-nesting birds, as well as reptiles and small mammals, making the gila woodpecker's role as nest excavator critical for other animals in the desert ecosystem.

Attracting Gila Woodpeckers:

These woodpeckers can be comfortable around humans and will readily visit backyards that offer suet, fruit, birdseed and even nectar feeders. Leaving large cacti and trees intact for nesting space can help attract these birds, and discouraging starlings will ensure the nesting sites are available for woodpeckers.

Gila woodpeckers can occasionally become a nuisance drilling on wooden buildings, and taking steps to stop woodpecker damage may be necessary.

Conservation:

These woodpeckers are not considered threatened or endangered, but their populations may be declining slightly as more areas in their range are developed and nesting sites become scarcer. European starlings also usurp nesting sites and exclude gila woodpeckers, causing more breeding challenges.

Similar Birds:

• Red-Bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)
• Golden-Fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons)
• Gray-Breasted Woodpecker (Melanerpes hypopolius)
• Gilded Flicker (Colaptes chrysoides)
• Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)

Photo – Gila Woodpecker – Male © Joan Gellatly
Photo – Gila Woodpecker – Female © Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren
Photo – Nesting Male Gila Woodpecker © Ken Bosma