Gila Woodpecker

Melanerpes uropygialis (Baird, SF, 1854)

Gila Woodpecker, Melanerpes uropygialis, breeds in the south-western United States and Baja California through to western Mexico, with a desert range that includes south-eastern California, southern Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico. It is a woodpecker of low desert scrub, arroyos and small towns. Its back and wings show a black-and-white barred and spotted pattern, while the head, throat, neck and belly are greyish-tan. Adult males have a small red cap, and females and young birds do not. White wing patches stand out in flight, and the tail is dark with white bars on the central feathers.

Order

Piciformes

Family

Picidae — Woodpeckers

Breeding range

North America, Middle America: sw USA and Baja California to w Mexico