Nuttall's Woodpecker

Picoides nuttalliiOrder: PICIFORMESFamily: Woodpeckers (Picidae)

General

Nuttall's Woodpecker: Small woodpecker with black-and-white barred back, wings, and outer tail. Underparts are white with spotted flanks. Face is black-and-white with white patch above bill. Rear crown patch is red. Female is similar but lacks red patch on head. Juvenile has more extensive crown patch.

Range and Habitat

Nuttall's Woodpecker: Resident from northern California to Baja California. Found in canyon scrub oaks, oak woodlands, and streamside growth.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"prreep", "pit-it"

Interesting Facts

The Nuttall's Woodpecker was named after naturalist Thomas Nuttall.
Its limited range, low density, and close association with oak woodlands and riparian zones make it vulnerable to development that encroaches on its habitat.
When foraging, males tend to work on the trunk and larger branches, while females use the smaller branches.
A group of woodpeckers has many collective nouns, including a "descent", "drumming", and "gatling" of woodpeckers.

Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Nuttall's Woodpecker

Nuttall's Woodpecker: Small woodpecker with black-and-white barred back, wings, and outer tail. Underparts are white with spotted sides and barred flanks. Face is black-and-white with white nasal bristles above bill. Rear crown patch is small and red. Bill is short and black. Legs and feet are gray.

● Song: "prreep", "pit-it"

● Foraging & Feeding: Nuttall's Woodpecker: Eats insects and some acorns; forages in oaks, yucca, and mesquite.

● Breeding & nesting: Nuttall's Woodpecker: Three to six white eggs are laid in a hole excavated in a thin, dead branch of an oak or cottonwood, or sometimes a large, thick-stemmed elderberry bush. Eggs are incubated for 14 days by both parents.

● Similar species: Nuttall's Woodpecker: Downy and Hairy woodpeckers have solid white backs and lack spots on breasts and flanks.

Flight Pattern

Alternates several deep flaps with glides.

Nuttall's Woodpecker Body Illustration_2

● Range & Habitat: Nuttall's Woodpecker: Resident from northern California to Baja California. Found in canyon scrub oaks, oak woodlands, and streamside growth.

^BreedingMonogamous

^PopulationCommon to fairly common

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight1.3 Ounces

Field Guide to Birds of North America