Gila Woodpecker

Melanerpes uropygialis

Order PICIFORMES - Family PICIDAE - Subfamily Picinae

Menu

1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Habitat
7. Food
8. Behavior
9. Reproduction
10. Conservation Status
11. Other Names

A conspicuous resident in the deserts of the Southwest and Mexico, the Gila Woodpecker is a characteristic bird of the saguaro cactus forests.

Cool Facts

• When a pair of Gila Woodpeckers excavates a nest hole in a saguaro cactus, it typically does not use it for several months. Drying time is required for the inner pulp of the cactus to form a solid casing around the cavity.
• The male Gila Woodpecker forages mainly on the trunk and main branches of saguaro cacti, while the female concentrates on the periphery and diseased areas.

Description

• Size: 24 cm (9 in)
• Wingspan: 41 cm (16 in)
• Weight: 51-79 g (1.8-2.79 ounces)

• Medium- to large-sized woodpecker.
• Back barred black-and-white.
• Brown face and neck.
• Male with red cap.

• Tail black with barred central feathers.
• Underside pale brown.
• Forehead whitish.
• Rump, flanks, and under tail barred black-and-white.
• Center of belly tinged yellow.
• Whitish patch in wings visible in flight.
• Bill black to grayish black.
• Eyes dark red to reddish hazel.
• Legs and feet brownish green or bluish.

Sex Differences

Male with red cap, female with entirely brown head.

Immature

Juvenile is similar to adult, but duller and with restricted red on head of male.

Similar Species

• Gila Woodpecker is the only woodpecker in its range with a black-and-white back.
• Red-bellied Woodpecker has red nape and crown (in the male), and a white rump.
• Golden-fronted Woodpecker has a yellow-orange nape, black central tail feathers, and a white rump.

Sound

Call a loud, raspy "churr." Also short "pip" notes. Also drums.

»listen to songs of this species

Range

Summer Range

Resident from southern Arizona, very southwestern New Mexico, extreme southern California and Nevada southward to west-central Mexico.

Habitat

Found in deserts that have large cacti or trees suitable for nesting (especially saguaro cactus), dry subtropical forests, riparian woodlands, and residential areas.

Food

Insects, fruit, seeds, occasional birds' eggs, and lizards.

Behavior

Foraging

Gleans insects from bark, probes into holes and dead wood, takes food from ground.

Reproduction

Nest Type

Hole in saguaro cactus or tree. Cavity unlined.

Egg Description

White.

Clutch Size

Usually 3-4 eggs. Range: 2-7.

Condition at Hatching

Naked and helpless.

Conservation Status

Populations may be slightly declining. Threatened by human development of Sonoran Desert and by competition for nest sites with European Starlings.

Other Names

Pic des saguaros (French)
Carpintero de Gila, Carpintero del desierto (Spanish)

Sources used to construct this page:

Edwards, H. H., and G. D. Schnell. 2000. Gila Woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis). In The Birds of North America, No. 532 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.