Arizona Woodpecker Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A small, compact woodpecker with a relatively long, straight, chisel-like bill.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Downy Woodpecker, smaller than a Hairy Woodpecker.

  robin-sized

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 7.1-7.9 in (18-20 cm)
    • Weight: 1.2-1.8 oz (34-51 g)
    • Wingspan: 14.2 in (36 cm)

  © Chris Rohrer / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Has a solidly brown back, large white cheek patch, and heavily spotted underparts—the only U.S. woodpecker with these markings. Adult males have a bright red spot at the rear of the crown.

• Behavior

  Spirals upward around a tree, then flies to the base of the next tree and repeats, much as Brown Creepers do. Finds prey by scaling or prying off bark or by excavating into dead or live wood. Often joins mixed-species flocks of woodland birds in winter.
• Habitat

  Nests and forages in pine-oak, oak, and sycamore-walnut woodlands at middle elevations (4,000–8,000 feet).