Arizona Woodpecker
Arizona Woodpecker
Dryobates arizonae
At a Glance
A brown-backed woodpecker of oak woodland, living in mountains near the Mexican border, mainly in southeastern Arizona. Foraging quietly at mid-levels in the oaks, it is often easy to overlook. Much of its behavior is like that of the Hairy Woodpecker, but it is quieter, often forages lower in the trees, and does not dig as deeply into dead wood for insects.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Tree-clinging Birds, Woodpeckers
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Arroyos and Canyons, Forests and Woodlands
Region
Southwest
Behavior
Flap/Glide, Undulating
Population
200.000
Range & Identification
Migration & Range Maps
Generally permanent resident, but very rarely may wander to lowlands in winter.
Description
7-8" (18-20 cm). The solid brown back (with no barring) is diagnostic among North American woodpeckers. Patterned face, brown spots on white underparts. Adult female lacks red nape spot.
Size
About the size of a Robin, About the size of a Sparrow
Color
Black, Brown, Red, White
Wing Shape
Broad, Rounded
Tail Shape
Multi-pointed, Wedge-shaped
Songs and Calls
Call is a sharp peek! or a rasping jee-jee-jee.
Call Pattern
Falling, Flat
Call Type
Chirp/Chip, Drum, Rattle, Scream, Trill
Habitat
Oaks in mountains, pine-oak canyons. In its United States range (Arizona and New Mexico only) found exclusively in oaks of foothills and mid-levels of mountains, up into mixed pine-oak woods.
Sign up for Audubon's newsletter to learn more about birds like the Arizona Woodpecker
Behavior
Eggs
3-4. White. Incubation is by both sexes, about 14 days.
Young
Both parents feed nestlings. Age at which young leave nest is not well known; young may follow parents for several weeks after fledging.
Feeding Behavior
Forages by climbing oaks, pines, other trees, tapping and probing, flaking off bits of bark, searching for insects. Also climbs acrobatically among branches, sometimes hanging upside down, and probes at flowers of agaves and other plants. Male (slightly larger and longer-billed than female) spends more time foraging on trunk, female does more on branches and twigs.
Diet
Mostly insects. Feeds on a variety of insects, especially larvae of wood-boring beetles; also some berries and small fruits, a few acorns.
Nesting
Birds may pair up and begin working on nest cavity by mid-winter. Members of pair may drum and tap near potential nest site, and make short gliding display flights nearby. Nest site is cavity in dead stub of large tree, usually 9-50' above ground, sometimes lower in agave stalk. In Arizona, nest cavity is often in walnut (easier to excavate than oak). Excavation is by male or by both sexes.
Conservation
Conservation Status
Numbers seem stable in its limited U.S. range.
Climate Threats Facing the Arizona Woodpecker
Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.