There are as many as 22 species of woodpeckers in North America and you can find 12 of those woodpeckers in New Mexico. In this article we’ll take a look at each species and touch on where and when you might spot one in New Mexico. At the end of the article I’ll also give you a few tips on how to attract woodpeckers to your yard.
12 species of woodpeckers in New Mexico
The 12 species of woodpeckers in Texas are the Red-headed Woodpecker, Arizona Woodpecker, Acorn Woodpecker, Red-naped Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Lewis’s Woodpecker, Gila Woodpecker, Williamson’s Sapsucker, American Three-toed Woodpecker, and the Northern Flicker.
1. Red-headed Woodpecker
Length: 7.5-9.1 in
Weight: 2.0-3.2 oz
Wingspan: 16.5 in
Actually pretty rare to New Mexico with just a few spotty breeding populations each year, consider yourself lucky if you live in New Mexico and see one of these in your yard. The Red-headed Woodpecker is easily identified by its completely red/crimson head. They will sometimes visit suet feeders, but again are less common some other types of woodpeckers. Aside from suet they will also eat various nuts and fruits, and they are also very skilled at catching insects in mid-flight.
Red-headed Woodpeckers can be quite aggressive and it’s not uncommon for them to take over nests by knocking eggs out or even puncturing them to kill the young. They are one of only four species of woodpeckers that actively store their food in caches for later use. The Red-headed Woodpecker takes it a step further though and will go so far as to cover the food up with bark or wood to better camouflage its stash.
2. Acorn Woodpecker
