Arizona Woodpecker, Dryobates arizonae

Arizona Woodpecker, Dryobates arizonae arizonae, Male. Photograph taken within a residential community in Hereford, Arizona, April 2004. Photograph and identification courtesy of Bob Behrstock, Sierra Vista, Arizona (naturewideimages.com).

Arizona Woodpecker, Dryobates arizonae arizonae, Male. Photograph taken in the greater Alamos area, Alamos, Sonora, December 2019. Photograph and identification courtesy of David F Smith, Alamos, Sonora.

Background and Identification

The Arizona Woodpecker, Dryobates arizonae, is one of two subspecies of Arizona Woodpecker, both are found in Mexico. It is a member of the Picidae Family of Woodpeckers. There are twenty-five global members of the Dryobates Genus. They consume larval and adult insects, fruits, and acorns. The Arizona Woodpecker has been poorly studied and limited information about their behavioral patterns and biology has been documented. They are known in Mexico as Pico de Arizona.

The Arizona Woodpecker is a mid-sized montane woodpecker. Notably, it is one of the few woodpeckers with predominately brown plumage. The sexes are similar in appearance and the plumages are maintained year-round. The males have a small red patch on the occiput (nape of their neck), while females lack this red marking. They have an overall brown and white appearance with all brown foreheads, crown nape, and underparts. Portions of their head are white. They have brown ear coverts and a brown malar stripe. Their remaining underparts are shades of white with brown spots on the breast and sides. Their tail is blackish with white baring and their wings are brown with narrow white bars on the primaries. Their bill is blackish, long, and straight with a chisel tip; their iris is hazel to dark brown; and, their legs and feet are greenish gray. Both sexes have zygodactyl feet, a structure of two toes facing forward and two facing backward. This makes them adapted for climbing and foraging on trees.

Habitat and Geographical Range

The Arizona Woodpecker is found at mid-elevations within arid pine-oak woodlands and adjacent riparian woodlands at elevations between 900 m (2,950 feet) and 2,500 m (8,200 feet). Oak-pine woodlands and riparian areas with dense tree cover are preferred. They are secretive and difficult to locate in the wild, especially while nesting. They vigorously defend their territories.

The Arizona Woodpecker is found in southwestern Arizona and northwestern New Mexico south along Mexico’s Sierra Madre Occidental and then eastward along the southern rim of the Mexican plateau within the states of Sonora, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Zacatecas, and Michoacán. The arizonae subspecies are found within southern and northeastern Sinaloa and western Durango. This species is non-migratory, relying on the availability of its preferred habitats year-round.

Common Misidentifications

The Arizona Woodpecker is the only brown and white woodpecker in Mexico and is not easily confused with any other species.

Conservation Status

From a conservation perspective the Arizona Woodpecker is currently considered to be of  Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations.