There are many different species of woodpeckers in North America – and you can find at least 12 of those woodpeckers in Arizona. In this article we’ll take a look at each species and learn where and when you might spot one in Arizona. At the end of the article we’ll also give you a few tips on how to attract woodpeckers to your yard so read to the end.
12 types of woodpeckers in Arizona
The 12 species of woodpeckers in Arizona are the Lewis’s Woodpecker, Acorn Woodpecker, Gila Woodpecker, Williamson’s Sapsucker, Red-naped Sapsucker, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Arizona Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, and the Gilded Flicker.
In the following list, we’ll learn a little about each one of Arizona’s woodpeckers!
1. Acorn Woodpecker
Length: 7.5-9.1 in
Weight: 2.3-3.2 oz
Wingspan: 13.8-16.9 in
Acorn Woodpeckers have a very limited range in North America, and can only be found in parts of Central and Eastern Arizona. You can find them in oak or pine-oak forests where they eat acorns and a number of different insects. Like mosts species of woodpecker they will at least occasionally visit suet feeders, but are more rare to than maybe a Downy.
They’re known for drilling holes in trees called granaries and storing nuts in theme, as many as 50,000 nuts in some cases. They jam them into these holes so tightly that other animals are unable to remove them. They are obviously storing this food for a later date when food is more scarce. They’ll also fiercely guard these food caches from anything that tries to steal from them.
2. Red-naped Sapsucker
Length: 7.5-8.3 in
Weight: 1.1-2.3 oz
Wingspan: 16.1-16.9 in
The Red-naped Sapsucker can be found in Southern and Western Arizona in the Winter, and in the rest of the state during the breeding months (Spring and Summer). They are very closely related to Yellow-bellied’s and were even thought to be the same species until 1983 when researchers discovered they were in fact two different species.
Like other sapsuckers, they drink sap from trees like aspen, birch, or pine trees, but also feed on insects. Look for them early in the breeding season (mid-May), and early in the morning when they are most active. Neat rows of holes in a sap-producing tree is a good indicator that a sapsucker is in the area.