Arizona hosts a rich diversity of the woodpecker family (Picidae), including residents of desert lowlands, riparian woodlands, and high-elevation conifer forests. These birds are adapted for excavating wood, drumming to communicate, and foraging on insects, sap, and fruit.
Woodpeckers
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Arizona Woodpecker (Dryobates arizonae)
A specialty of southeastern Arizona’s Madrean Sky Islands, this small, brown-backed woodpecker with white underparts and brown spotting is the only regularly occurring brown woodpecker in the U.S. It favors oak and pine-oak canyons and often forages on branches rather than trunks. -
American Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides dorsalis)
A rare visitor to Arizona’s high-elevation spruce-fir forests, especially after spruce beetle outbreaks. This black-and-white woodpecker is distinctive with three toes instead of the usual four and a yellow crown patch in males. Records are scarce and usually tied to irruptions from the north. -
Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus)
Widespread in Arizona’s coniferous forests, resembling the smaller Downy but with a longer bill. -
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)
Smallest Arizona woodpecker, found along riparian woodlands and foothills. -
Gila Woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis)
A desert specialist, common in saguaro stands and desert scrub. Known for excavating nest holes in saguaros. -
Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)
Strikingly patterned black-and-white bird with a clownlike face and red cap. Noted for storing thousands of acorns in “granary trees.” -
Lewis’s Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis)
An uncommon resident of pine forests and open woodlands, unique for its crow-like flight and aerial insect-catching.
Flickers
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Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
In Arizona, both the “Red-shafted” and “Yellow-shafted” forms occur, with red-shafted more common. Large, brown, ant-eating woodpecker often seen foraging on the ground. -
Gilded Flicker (Colaptes chrysoides)
Found in desert regions with saguaros, distinguished from Northern Flicker by its golden-yellow wing and tail linings.
Sapsuckers
- Red-naped Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis)
Common winter visitor and migrant, recognized by its red crown, throat, and nape. Drills rows of sap wells in trees. - Williamson’s Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus thyroideus)
Breeds in Arizona’s high-elevation conifers. Unusual for its strong sexual dimorphism: males are mostly black with a yellow belly, females barred brown. - Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)
Rare but regular winter visitor, mainly in southeastern Arizona. - Arizona’s woodpeckers, flickers, and sapsuckers range from desert-dwellers like the Gila Woodpecker and Gilded Flicker to montane specialists like the Arizona Woodpecker and rare American Three-toed Woodpecker. Sapsuckers, mostly winter visitors, highlight the state’s role as a migratory crossroads.