This month let’s talk about a bird you may frequently hear and see in your yards, the Nuttall’s Woodpecker. The Nuttall’s is one of several woodpecker species that can be seen in our region. It was named after an English naturalist named Thomas Nuttall in 1843. Nuttall’s Woodpeckers are found primarily in California (and sometimes in northern Mexico) to the west of both the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Cascades.

What does a Nuttall’s Woodpecker look like?

Nuttall’s Woodpeckers are about seven inches long and are mostly black with white barring (or spots) on its back, wings, and outer tail. They have a black face with white stripes and have a short black bill. Nuttall’s Woodpeckers have a white belly with black spots running along the sides of their bellies. The male has a red “crown” patch on the back of its head. Juvenile birds look a lot like the adults; except they have some white color on their heads.

Where do Nuttall’s Woodpeckers live?

Nuttall’s Woodpeckers are “cavity nesters” which means they use holes inside live or dead trees to lay their eggs and protect their young. A new cavity is created every year; and this is usually the job of the Nuttall’s male. The entrance hole is about two inches wide. Nuttall’s Woodpeckers usually nest in cottonwood, willow, sycamore, or oak trees. They even line the bottom of their nest cavities with wood chips to help cushion their eggs! Both parents help with incubation (sitting on the eggs) and raising their young. Young birds leave the nest at about one month after hatching. After Nuttall’s have finished raising their young, their old nests are frequently used by other birds that are incapable of making cavities. While Nuttall’s Woodpeckers prefer oak woodlands and riparian areas (land near rivers or streams); they will go anywhere there are trees and often are seen in populated areas.

What do Nuttall’s Woodpeckers eat?

Although you find Nuttall’s Woodpeckers frequently among oak trees, they are not really fond of acorns. They like to eat insects and really enjoy eating both adult beetles and beetle larva. They also eat caterpillars, ants, bugs, termites, and millipedes, in addition to, berries and other fruits, poison oak seeds, and sap. They flutter their wings to help themselves balance when searching for food on small twigs. Nuttall’s don’t use their bills to drill when they look for insects under the bark of trees. Instead, they use their bills to pry and flake away pieces of bark; and then to probe to find insects. One can actually watch them turn their heads from side-to-side when they peer into bark crevices seeking insects!

What do Nuttall’s Woodpeckers sound like?

Like many birds, you frequently can hear a Nuttall’s Woodpecker before you spot one. They have a rattle-like call that is quite loud and it quickly becomes a familiar sound to many birdwatchers. Nuttall’s Woodpeckers also drill or “drum” at the bark of trees. (heard in second recording below). Woodpeckers of all species do this for three reasons: either to communicate with other birds or claim a territory, to drill a hole for a nest, or to sometimes look for insects or sap. You can listen to the Nuttall’s Woodpecker below:

These sounds and calls of the Nuttall’s Woodpecker are from xeno-canto. More Nuttall’s Woodpecker vocalizations can be found at xeno-canto.org/species/Dryobates-nuttallii.