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Nuttall's Woodpecker - BirdForum Opus

Male
Photo by digishooter
Kern County, California, USA, April 2006
Dryobates nuttallii

Picoides nuttallii

Identification

  • 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

Distribution

Map-Nuttall's Woodpecker.png
Pacific coast of North America: across California to northern Baja California, Mexico.
Legend

 P. nuttallii; year-round
Maps/Texts consulted1,2,3

Female
Photo by digishooter
Wofford Heights, Kern Co., California, USA, January 2007

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species[1].

Habitat

Chaparral and oak woodlands.

Behaviour

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

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

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

References

  1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
  2. Sibley, David A. 2000. The Sibley Guide to Birds. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
  3. Lowther, Peter E. 2000. Nuttall's Woodpecker (Picoides nuttallii). The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/555.
  4. Brinkley, Edward S. 2007. Field Guide to Birds of North America. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.

Recommended Citation

External Links

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