From southwestern United States south to British Honduras (Lowther 2001).

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: Resident from southern California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, southeastern Colorado, southwestern Kansas, and western Oklahoma south through Texas, most of Mexico (including Baja California), and Belize; also locally in Honduras and northeastern Nicaragua.

Black with white barring on face, male has red crown patch, female lacks red crown patch, forehead black, and wings black with white spots, back is black with white bars. Similar in appearance to Nuttall’s woodpecker that has a cleaner white breast, and less spotting on flanks, and wider white bars on upper back. Length is 18.8 mm, weight 30.3g, and wing length (chord) 64mm. Zygodactylic feet and stiff tail feathers for climbing (Kaufman 2000, Lowther 2001).

Range mass: 21 to 48 g.

Average mass: 30 g.

Range length: 16 to 18 cm.

Range wingspan: 97.8 to 110 mm.

Average wingspan: 104 mm.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry

Length: 18 cm

Weight: 30 grams

• Terrestrial

Wooded canyons, cottonwood groves, pine and pine oak woodlands, desert scrub, and desert grassland dominated by mesquite. Elevation range is from sea level to 2,600 meters. A xeric adapted woodpecker that is found in diverse habitat including mangrove swamps in Honduras (Short 1982, Lowther 2001).

Range elevation: sea level to 2600 m.

Habitat Regions: temperate

Terrestrial Biomes: chaparral ; scrub forest

Comments: Deserts, arid scrub, riparian woodland, mesquite, scrub oak, pinyon-juniper woodland, pine-oak association, pine savanna, thickets, shade trees in towns and rural areas. Digs nest hole in rotted stub or in dead or dying branch of various trees, also in saguaro, agave, yucca, fence post, utility pole; nest 3-8 m above ground.

Non-Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species do not make significant seasonal migrations. Juvenile dispersal is not considered a migration.

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Main foods are insects and arthropods found by probe, pick or glean, bill flick, pry, and excavate. Foraging accomplished mainly on trunks and limbs of trees some reports of ground foraging (Lowther 2001).

Primary Diet: carnivore (Insectivore )

Comments: Eats mainly larvae of wood-boring beetles, other insects, and cactus fruits; forages in small trees and shrubs, also on ground (Terres 1980).

By eating wood boring beetles and other insects, they help to control insect populations and their effect on trees (Short 1982).

No known predators for the species, but snakes routinely raid woodpecker nests, primarily the bull/gopher snakes. Cooper’s Hawks (Accipite cooperii), other accipiters, falcons and owls regularly predate on woodpeckers (Koenig et al. 1995).

Known Predators:

• hawks (Accipitridae)
• owls (Strigiformes)
• snakes (Serpentes)

Chicks are nearly naked and helpless (altricial) and confined to the nest (nidicolous). No information is available on fledging stage, however based on observations of the Nuttallii’s woodpecker (Picoides nuttallii) they leave the nest 15 to 16 days after hatching, and parental care continues for two weeks after leaving the nest (Lowther 2000, Lowther 2001).

Longevity is 4.5 years based on banding. No data on adult survival rate. No known causes of mortality (Lowther 2001).

Range lifespan

Status: wild: 4.5 (high) years.

Average lifespan

Status: wild: 54 months.

Breeding pair formation starts in late January and continues through March. Incubation occurs from April through May. Clutch size varies from 4 to 6. Egg shape is oval or oval short. There is no information on nest selection and building, however nest are cavities in Joshua trees, Willow, Walnut, Cottonwood, Oak, Hackberry, Pine, and Mesquite. There is no information on parental care, fledging stage, immature stage, or the break up of mating pairs. Molt occurs after breeding from July to October. Hybridization occurs with Nuttall’s woodpecker where their ranges overlap (Short 1982, Lowther 2001).

Breeding season: January through June

Range eggs per season: 4 to 6.

Average eggs per season: 4.

Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 1 (low) years.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 1 years.

Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 1 (low) years.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 1 years.

Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); oviparous

Average time to hatching: 13 days.

Average eggs per season: 4.

Parental Investment: altricial

Clutch size usually is 4-5. Incubation, by both sexes, lasts about 13 days.

US Migratory Bird Act: no special status

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Comments: Decline possibly is related to mesquite and brush control (chaining, herbicides, bulldozing) (USFWS 1987).

Comments: Constitutes a superspecies with P. nuttallii (AOU 1998).