Gila Woodpecker Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A medium-sized woodpecker with a long, pointed bill.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Ladder-backed Woodpecker, smaller than a Gilded Flicker.

  between robin and crow

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 8.7-9.4 in (22-24 cm)
    • Weight: 1.8-2.8 oz (51-79 g)
    • Wingspan: 15.8-16.5 in (40-42 cm)

  © Arlene Ripley / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Gila Woodpeckers are grayish brown birds with brilliant black-and-white barring on the wings, back, and tail. In flight, the outer wings are black with a crescent-shaped white patch at the base of the primary feathers. Males have a red patch in the center of the crown.

• Behavior

  Gila Woodpeckers spend much of the day foraging in taller desert vegetation (trees and saguaro cactus especially). The catch insects by pecking, gleaning, and probing, focusing on larger branches and trunks. In the morning and late afternoon they perch in conspicuous places, call frequently, and make short flights around their territories, often driving out other woodpeckers and many songbird species.
• Habitat

  Stands of saguaro cactus, desert scrub, arroyos and washes, and small towns.