Nuttall's Woodpecker - BirdForum Opus

Male
Photo © by digishooter
Kern County, California, USA, April 2006

Dryobates nuttallii

Picoides nuttallii

Identification

Female
Photo © by djleahy
Los Trancos Woods, Portola Valley, California, 16 November 2007

• Black and white barred back, wings, and outer tail
• White undersides with spotted flanks
• Black and white striped face
  

Male: Red nape
Female: Black crown
Juvenile: Red crown

Similar Species

Ladder-backed Woodpecker of the desert southwest is paler, with narrower black bars on back and face. Barring extends to upper back. Has different voice. Range barely overlaps.

Distribution

	Pacific coast of North America: across California to northern Baja California, Mexico. Isolated population east of the Sierra Nevada along Owens River in Inyo County.
	Legend • P. nuttallii; year-round Maps/Texts consulted1,2,3

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[1].

Habitat

Chaparral and oak woodlands.

Behaviour

Juvenile
Photo © by digishooter
Wofford Heights, Kern Co., California, USA, July 2010

Breeding

Nest holes are excavated in trees. The clutch consists of 3-6 eggs which are incubated by both parents for about two weeks.

Diet

Diet includes insects such as beetles, caterpillars, ants, and bugs.

Vocalisation

Common call is a distinctive rapid low rattle recalling Belted Kingfisher. Also double pitit or single pit notes recalling Western Tanager.

Movements

Mostly resident with some altitudinal movement. Casual records outside breeding range.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Sibley, DA. 2000. The Sibley Guide to Birds. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0679451228
3. Lowther, P. E., P. Pyle, and M. A. Patten (2020). Nuttall's Woodpecker (Dryobates nuttallii), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (P. G. Rodewald, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.nutwoo.01
4. Brinkley, Edward S. 2007. Field Guide to Birds of North America. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
5. Winkler, H. & Christie, D.A. (2020). Nuttall's Woodpecker (Dryobates nuttallii). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/56232 on 1 April 2020).

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Nuttall's Woodpecker. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 18 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Nuttall%27s_Woodpecker

External Links

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