How to Identify aGila Woodpecker
Melanerpes uropygialis · 8.7–9.4 in (22–24 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Grayish-tan head and underparts with a black-and-white barred back and a small round red cap.
Female
Identical but with no red on the crown.
Male photo: Polinova / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Second photo: Gary L. Clark / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Field marks
- Plain unmarked tan head and chest
- Crisply zebra-barred back and wings
- Small red crown patch on the male only
- White wing patch flashing in flight
Similar species
What it sounds like
A loud, rolling, laughing "churr" and a sharp "pit", carrying far across open desert.
Behaviour that gives it away
Excavates nest holes in living saguaro cactus, waiting months for the wound to harden into a waterproof "boot" before using it.
Habitat & range
Saguaro desert, desert washes, towns and gardens of Arizona and the Southwest.
When you'll see it
Present all year in southwestern North America.
What it eats
Insects, cactus fruit, berries and nectar; visits hummingbird feeders.
Did you know?
Its abandoned saguaro holes become the main nest sites for Elf Owls, flycatchers and other desert birds.
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