California is a fantastic state for woodpeckers – there are simply lots of different species to see!
Over the years, there have been reports of nearly 20 (!) different species, but for this list, we chose 17 that were seen in the last year (according to eBird).
How many of them have you seen, and do you know how to identify them all?
Woodpecker Populations In California
In many parts of California, the most common woodpeckers are the Acorn, Nuttall’s, Downy, and Hairy Woodpeckers. These species are pretty easy to see and can visit backyard feeders.
Northern Flickers are also common in open areas, while big Pileated Woodpeckers call from mature forests in the northern half of the state. To see striking White-headed Woodpeckers, uncommon Black-backed Woodpeckers, and beautiful Williamson’s Sapsucker, you’ll probably need to visit high mountain forests.
Desert species like Gilded Flicker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, and Gila Woodpecker live in extreme southeastern California. In winter, we also find Lewis’s Woodpeckers and sapsuckers in various parts of the state.
Nuttall’s Woodpecker
Scientific name: Dryobates nuttallii
Length: 7.5 inches
Wingspan: 13 inches
The Nuttall’s Woodpecker could also be called, “California Woodpecker”. This small woodpecker is nearly restricted to California, and is a common sight in the state’s oak woodlands.
Within their range, we can recognize Nuttall’s Woodpeckers by having a small white front, solid black on the upper part of their back, and black and white barring below that. They also have a black face with two narrow white lines, and white underparts with some black spotting on their sides.
Males and juveniles have a bit of red on their crown while adult females have an all black crown.
Pairs of Nuttall’s Woodpeckers forage for beetles and other insects by tapping into bark and picking them off trunks and branches.
In most parts of their range, these small woodpeckers are common and easy to see, and can also occur in wooded parks and neighborhoods. They don’t usually occur in conifers and much prefer oaks and other trees.
Key identifications:
- Small with black and white barring on its back.
- Black face with two narrow white lines.
- Some small black markings on its sides.
Northern Flicker
Scientific name: Colaptes auratus
Length: 12.5 inches
Wingspan: 20 inches
Northern Flickers are big, unique, gray and tan woodpeckers with bold white rumps. They have buff underparts with black spotting and a bold black patch on their chest, and fine black barring on their back and wings.
This species has some differences depending on where they live. Birds east of the Rocky Mountains have a small red spot on their nape, and a black mustache mark (males).
West of the Rockies, Northern Flickers have grayer heads, and males have a red mustache. They also have reddish on their underwings.
Northern Flickers love parks, golf courses, and other semi-open habitats. In such places, we often see them in bounding flight, or perched on the ground as they forage for ants. These noisy birds also make laughing calls and “wicka-wicka” vocalizations.
Since this species eats ants, it rarely, if ever, comes to bird feeders.
Key identifications:
- In most of their range, Northern Flickers are the only woodpecker with gray and brown plumage.
- This species has a gray crown and fine black barring on its tan-colored back.
- Northern Flickers also have a black chest patch and black spotting on their underparts.
Acorn Woodpecker
Scientific name: Melanerpes formicivorus
Length: 9 inches
Wingspan: 17.5 inches
Acorn Woodpeckers are bold, clown-like woodpeckers with a straight black beak, pale yellowish throat and front, and pale eyes. They also have a black chest, some black streaking on their underparts, and a bright white rump.
The rest of their upperparts are glossy black, and they have a red patch on their crown (larger in males). In flight, Acorn Woodpeckers show a bold white patch on each wing.
These woodpeckers are noisy and conspicuous birds that call from trees, posts, and other perches. We usually see them in small groups that forage for insects and other food items on oaks and other trees.
Most of all, Acorn Woodpeckers feed on acorns. They also store them for later use, sometimes sticking thousands of acorns into rows of small holes!
This fun woodpecker is easy to see in oak and pine-oak woodlands in California, western Oregon, eastern Arizona and adjacent New Mexico, and the Big Bend area of Texas.
Key identifications:
- Clown-like face.
- White wing patches.
- Black chest.
Downy Woodpecker
Scientific name: Dryobates pubescens
Length: 6.75 inches
Wingspan: 12 inches
Downy Woodpeckers are small, cute woodpeckers with black and white plumage. They have bold, black and white markings on their heads, black and white wings, and white underparts.
They also have a white back, black rump, and black and white tail. This woodpecker is slightly bigger than a sparrow, and has white, tufted feathers above its short beak.
Male Downy Woodpeckers have a small red patch on the back part of their head. Females look like males but lack this red patch, and young birds have red on the top of their heads.
This small bird is common in all sorts of wooded habitats. They like to use their small beaks to peck into twigs and often forage with flocks of chickadees and other birds.
This beautiful little woodpecker is also a regular visitor to backyards and can live in urban areas with lots of trees. They also come to bird feeders, especially ones that offer suet and peanuts.
Key identifications:
- Downy Woodpeckers are smaller than all other woodpeckers in North America. They are nearly as small as a House Sparrow.
- This species has a short and stubby beak (for a woodpecker).
- Downy Woodpeckers have small dark markings on their white outer tail feathers.
Hairy Woodpecker
Scientific name: Dryobates villosus
Length: 9.25 inches
Wingspan: 15 inches
Hairy Woodpeckers are medium-sized, black and white woodpeckers with a fairly long and sharp beak. They have a bold black and white pattern on their head, white back, black rump, and black and white wings.
Hairy Woodpeckers also have white underparts and a pale front. Males have a small red patch on the back of their head, females lack this patch, and juveniles have a red patch on top of their head.
If that description sounds like a Downy Woodpecker, it’s true, these two species look almost exactly the same! However, in addition to details mentioned below, they also differ in another main way.
While Downy Woodpeckers like second growth and plants with thin stems, Hairy Woodpeckers only live in places with big, mature trees. We mostly find these woodpeckers in forest but they can also occur in parks and suburban areas that have lots of big trees.
Hairy Woodpeckers can also visit feeders, especially for suet.
Key identifications:
- Hairy Woodpeckers have noticeably longer beaks than Downy Woodpeckers, and are also larger birds.
- The Hairy Woodpecker has a big white patch on its back.
- This species has plain white underparts and clean white outer tail feathers.
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Scientific name: Sphyrapicus ruber
Length: 8.5 inches
Wingspan: 16 inches
Red-breasted Sapsuckers are beautiful woodpeckers with red chests and mostly red heads. They can have a white front or a white line on their face, have a large white patch on the front of each wing, and some white or yellow markings on their black back.
This sapsucker species also has some dark markings on its yellowish belly.
Both sexes look similar although females have more white on their face. Juvenile Red-breasted Sapsuckers lack bright colors, have a dark brown head, and dingy yellow on their belly.
Like other sapsuckers, this pretty bird makes shallow holes in trees to drink sap. It also forages for insects and berries on a variety of trees.
Red-breasted Sapsuckers are fairly common in a variety of forest and woodland habitats in Pacific coastal provinces and states from southern Alaska to California. Birds that breed in high elevations move to lower elevations for the winter.
Key identifications:
- A mostly red head and red chest.
- Large white patch on the front of each wing.
- Pale yellow belly with some dark markings.
Lewis’s Woodpecker
Scientific name: Melanerpes lewis
Length: 10.75 inches
Wingspan: 21 inches
The Lewis’s Woodpecker is a unique, fairly large woodpecker with a dark red face, silver-gray collar and chest, and magenta-pink underparts. The rest of its plumage is blackish green.
Both sexes look alike while juveniles lack bright colors and have brownish heads.
Unlike most woodpecker species, the Lewis’s Woodpecker prefers semi-open areas with big, scattered trees. They are especially common in open Ponderosa Pine forests, riparian zones with big Cottonwoods, and burned areas.
Oddly enough, since Lewis’s Woodpeckers aren’t good at excavating holes in hard wood, they require old, decayed trees for nesting. In summer, this species also needs areas with plenty of insects.
They fly out from a perch to catch their insect prey, often flying in an odd and floppy fashion! In winter, Lewis’s Woodpeckers move to lower elevations where they store and eat acorns and other nuts.
We can see this beautiful bird in parts of southern British Columbia and in the western USA.
Key identifications:
- Blackish, glossy green plumage.
- Pink belly.
- Silvery collar.
Pileated Woodpecker
Scientific name: Dryocopus pileatus
Length: 16.5 inches
Wingspan: 29 inches
Pileated Woodpeckers are really big woodpeckers. These hefty birds are nearly the same size as an American Crow!
If the Ivory-billed Woodpecker is actually extinct, that makes the Pileated Woodpecker the biggest woodpecker in North America.
These unmistakable woodpeckers are mostly black with a thick white line on each side of their neck, and a white throat.
They also have a red crest and a long, grayish beak. Males have a small red moustache while females have a black line that extends from their beak to their neck.
Pileated Woodpeckers also have a small white patch on the upper part of each wing. It’s easier to see this mark and the white underwings when the big woodpecker takes flight.
This fantastic woodpecker lives in forests and woodlands with lots of big, mature trees. For that reason, we don’t usually see them in urban areas. However, they can visit feeders at houses next to or within forest!
Key identifications:
- In most places, Pileated Woodpeckers are the only big black and white woodpecker with a red crest.
- This species has a small white patch near the tip of each upperwing. They also have white wing linings.
- Pileated Woodpeckers have a lot of white on their face and a completely black back.
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Scientific name: Dryobates scalaris
Length: 7.25 inches
Wingspan: 13 inches
The Ladder-backed Woodpecker is a small, black and white woodpecker of arid zones. It has a black and white “zebra” pattern on its back and wings, and some black speckling on off-white underparts.
Ladder-backed Woodpeckers also have a pair of thick black lines on their face, buff front, and a sharp, medium length beak. Males and juveniles have a red patch on the top of their head while females have a black crown.
Pairs of this small woodpecker pick insects and other arthropods from cactus and the trunks and branches of scrubby vegetation and small trees. They don’t peck into bark as much as other woodpeckers, and females forage more on twigs while males stick to trunks and larger branches.
Ladder-backed Woodpeckers are common in deserts and scrubby arid habitats. We find this handsome little woodpecker in many parts of the American Southwest as well as Texas north to southeastern Colorado.
Key identifications:
- Barred, black and white back.
- Two black lines on a pale face.
- Some black speckling on pale buffy underparts.
White-headed Woodpecker
Scientific name: Melanerpes candidus
Length: 9.25 inches
Wingspan: 16 inches
While-headed Woodpeckers are striking, black woodpeckers with bone-white heads and a white patch in each wing. Males also have a small red patch on the back part of their crown. Juveniles have the red patch on the top of their head.
This species mostly eats pine seeds, ants, beetles, and other insects. It forages by picking them off bark and foliage, and also taps into conifers. Like sapsuckers, White-headed Woodpeckers also make shallow holes in trees to collect and drink sap.
They usually occur in pairs that defend the same territory all year long. White-headed Woodpeckers live in mixed coniferous forests, especially with pine species, and they excavate their nesting holes much closer to the ground that other woodpeckers.
Look for White-headed Woodpeckers in mountains in a small area of southern British Columbia, Washington, western Idaho, Oregon, and California. Although they are usually uncommon, this handsome bird is locally common in some places.
Key identifications:
- Black with a white head.
- White patch in each wing.
Black-backed Woodpecker
Male. Photograph © Glenn Bartley
Scientific name: Picoides arcticus
Length: 9.1 inches
Wingspan: 16 inches
Black-backed Woodpeckers are medium-sized woodpeckers with jet black upperparts and a broad white stripe on the lower side of their face.
Like most woodpecker species, they have a long, sharp beak, and longish wings. Black-backed Woodpeckers also have pale underparts with uneven dark barring on their flanks.
Both sexes look similar except that male Black-backed Woodpeckers have a bright yellow patch on the top of their head.
These woodpeckers are true birds of cold, evergreen forests. They frequent boreal forests in Alaska, Canada, and some parts of the USA, and also occur in montane forests in parts of the western USA.
In many areas, this woodpecker species prefers semi-open habitats like bogs and also takes advantage of burned forests. In those situations, several Black-backed Woodpeckers can show up to take advantage of beetles that feed on the dead trees.
Since Black-backed Woodpeckers don’t usually migrate, we have to visit their boreal forest home to see them.
Key identifications:
- In much of their range, Black-backed Woodpeckers are the only woodpecker species with a completely black back.
- This species can also be recognized by the broad white stripe on the lower side of its face.
- The Black-backed Woodpecker has uneven dark barring on its flanks.
Gila Woodpecker
Scientific name: Melanerpes uropygialis
Length: 9.25 inches
Wingspan: 16 inches
The Gila Woodpecker is similar to Red-bellied and Golden-fronted Woodpeckers but replaces those species in southwestern deserts.
Gila Woodpeckers are pale brown with fine black and white barring on their back, wings, and part of their tail. They also have black barring under their tail and on their rump. Males have a red patch on their crown, and, when flying, show a small white patch on their wings.
This woodpecker species is an omnivore that feeds on just about anything it can find in its hot desert surroundings. These aggressive and noisy birds forage for insects, other small creatures, and fruit on cactus and other arid vegetation. They also attack nests of other birds and can eat both the eggs and the nestlings!
Gila Woodpeckers and noisy and easy to see in all sorts of arid habitats in the southern half of Arizona. They also range a little bit into adjacent states and northern Mexico.
Key identifications:
- Fine black and white barring on back and rump.
- Pale brown head and underparts.
- Small red patch on its crown.
Williamson’s Sapsucker
Scientific name: Sphyrapicus thyroideus
Length: 9 inches
Wingspan: 17 inches
The Williamson’s Sapsucker is a beautiful woodpecker of mountain forests. Males are black with two white lines on their face, a red throat, and yellow belly. They also have a large white patch on the front of each wing, and a bright white rump.
Females look very different. They have a pale brownish head, fine white barring on a black back and wings, and a blackish chest. They also have dark barring on their sides, a white rump, and a yellow belly.
This species makes shallow holes in conifers to drink sap, and picks ants and other insects off the bark of trunks and branches. It also eats fruit, especially in the winter.
Williamson’s Sapsuckers breed in montane coniferous and mixed forests (even in high elevations) from southern British Columbia to California and Arizona. They winter in montane forests in California, and from Arizona to Mexico.
Although they can be uncommon, usually, Williamson’s Sapsuckers aren’t that tough to see.
Key identifications:
- Two white lines on face.
- Solid black back, black chest, and white patch on front of wing.
- Brownish head with black on chest, and fine pale barring on dark back.
Red-naped Sapsucker
Scientific name: Sphyrapicus nuchalis
Length: 8.5 inches
Wingspan: 16 inches
Red-naped Sapsuckers are beautiful woodpeckers with a medium-length beak, black chest patch, and pale yellow underparts. They have a boldly patterned black and white face with a red spot on their nape, and red on their crown and throat.
This species also has a mottled black and white back, some fine black marks on its sides, and white patch on the front of each wing. Juveniles lack bright colors, and are brownish on their head and underparts.
Red-naped Sapsuckers live in a variety of woodland habitats including aspen groves and riparian zones. Like other sapsucker species, they tap small holes in trees to drink the sap and eat insects attracted to it.
This woodpecker also eats aspen buds, some fruit, and insects that it catches by pecking into bark and sallying into the air.
Red-naped Sapsuckers breed in the Rocky Mountain region and winter at lower elevations from Nevada to Mexico.
Key identifications:
- Red on throat and nape.
- Black chest and pale yellow belly.
- White patch on the front of each wing.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Scientific name: Sphyrapicus varius
Length: 8.5 inches
Wingspan: 16 inches
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are pretty, medium-sized woodpeckers with white shoulders. They have a black and white face, black chest, and uneven black and white barring on their backs.
This woodpecker species has pale yellow on its underparts, small black markings on its sides, and a red patch on its head.
Males also have a red throat bordered with black while females have a white throat. Juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers look like adults but are more dingy gray-brown, and lack red on their heads.
This migratory species likes to peck rows of small holes in deciduous trees. It drinks the sap that comes out as well as insects attracted to the sap.
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers breed in northern and montane forests, and spend the winter in parks and a variety of woodland habitats from the southeastern USA to Central America.
On their breeding grounds, we often hear their distinctive tapping that starts with a few fast taps and then slows down.
Key identifications:
- Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are the only woodpeckers in most of their range with white shoulders.
- This species has a black chest and uneven barring on its sides.
- The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker has lots of uneven, mottled black and white barring on its back.
Red-headed Woodpecker
Scientific name: Melanerpes erythrocephalus
Length: 9.25 inches
Wingspan: 17 inches
Red-headed Woodpeckers are beautiful, medium-sized woodpeckers with a completely deep red head. Adults of both sexes look alike and have a sharp gray bill, and bright white underparts.
Their upperparts are glossy black with a snow-white rump, and big white patches on their wings. Juvenile Red-headed Woodpeckers have a similar plumage pattern but have a gray-brown head, and some dark markings on their wings and underparts.
This striking bird prefers semi-open habitats with mature oaks, snags, and other big trees. We see them on golf courses, at the edges of rivers and other wetlands, and other places with similar-looking habitat.
In some places, this beautiful bird also occurs in urban areas, especially in the southeastern USA.
Red-headed Woodpeckers like to peck into trees like other woodpeckers but they also catch insects in flight. With that in mind, we often see them sallying into the air from tall snags next to open areas.
Key identifications:
- Red-headed Woodpeckers are the only woodpecker species in eastern North America with an entirely red head.
- This species has a unique wing pattern with big white patches on the base of each wing.
- The Red-headed Woodpecker has a black tail and an extensive white rump.
Gilded Flicker
Scientific name: Colaptes chrysoides
Length: 11 inches
Wingspan: 18 inches
Gilded Flickers are big woodpeckers that resemble the closely related and familiar Northern Flickers. However, they replace that species in the deserts of southern Arizona, southern Nevada, southeastern California, and northwestern Mexico.
This striking woodpecker has a gray head with a pale brown crown, long, grayish beak, and black mark on its chest. It also has small black markings on the rest of its pale tan underparts, and fine black barring on its pale brown back and wings.
In flight, it’s easy to see the Gilded Flicker’s white rump and yellow wing linings. Males also have a red mustache mark.
This species mostly feeds on ants that it catches on the ground with its long tongue. They also eat some other insects, take nectar from flowers, and eat seeds, especially in the winter.
Gilded Flickers are most common in spots with lots of big Saguaro cactus for nesting. They also nest in big trees in riparian zones.
Key identifications:
- Fine black barring on pale brown back.
- Gray head with pale brown cap.
- White rump and yellow wing linings.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many woodpeckers does California have?
In theory, California has around 20 woodpeckers; however, some are rare vagrants that have run off course. In 2023, 17 species were spotted.
Are there any woodpeckers in Los Angeles?
Yes, there are woodpeckers in Los Angeles. The Nuttall’s Woodpeckers are the most common woodpecker species in LA.
Do Woodpeckers live in San Francisco?
Yes, woodpeckers live in San Francisco. Several species live in parks and other natural areas in the city limits.
Does California have any rare vagrants?
Yes, California has a few rare vagrants. In California, the rarest vagrant woodpecker is the Eurasian Wryneck. One was seen on San Clemente Island on September 25th, 2017.