If you have been a long-time resident of New Mexico, and are curious to know more about the luxuriant feathered friends that you see flying around, you are at the right place!
Woodpeckers in New Mexico could be spotted around the majestic deciduous and conifer forests along the mountain ranges of New Mexico. Yes, they hammer holes into poles and are slightly annoying, but you cannot deny the red and yellow hues that they create as they drift and flicker their wings around you.
The soothing ‘wick-a-wick” or “chur-chur-chur” early in the morning while you are sipping your coffee or taking a walk in the park, most apparently are being made by your beautiful feathered neighbors.
Do you want to dig deeper to know more about how these birds look like, what they eat and where they live? Are you keen to photograph the beauty of these birds but do not know which places to visit? You will get more and more as you keep reading. Let’s swoop down, shall we?
Contents
Common Woodpeckers in New Mexico
New Mexico is abundant in different varieties of woodpeckers that roam freely within nature. This section brings forth the most common ones you can find in wilderness and provide sufficient knowledge to all the bird lovers!
Downy Woodpecker
Source: @jimsacks
- Scientific name: Dryobates pubescens
- Size: 14 to 18 cm (5.5 to 7.1 inches)
- Locality: All across New Mexico
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: April to October
The downy woodpeckers are mostly black feathered, with a slight tinge of white on their neck, throat and belly regions. They may also have white spots or stripes running down their backs and tails.
The best way to tell the difference between a male and a female downy is to look for a red patch that the male counterpart flaunts on the back of their head.
Downies can be spotted almost anywhere in New Mexico. Although their visibility is the highest in tree cavities deep within forested areas, they can also be seen flapping around the woodlands and even urban areas.
These aerial beings forage on dead tree branches and barks of trunks, and in winters, they drill even deeper. They prefer munching on insects–thanks to them that the moth population is under control! Besides insects, the downies may go for berries and peanuts anytime under the sun.
Northern Flicker Woodpecker
Source: @lisasisphotography
- Scientific name: Colaptes auratus
- Size: 28 to 36 cm (11 to 14 inches)
- Locality: All across New Mexico
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Mid-March to Early April
These medium-sized to large woodpeckers are also known as “yellowhammer” or “wick-up” due to their golden plumage and calling patterns. This avian has two sub-species namely the “yellow-shafted” and the “red-shafted”, where the red-shafted ones are more common woodpeckers in New Mexico.
The yellow-shafted counterpart has yellow marks on their outer wing feathers and a red bar-shaped tinge on their napes. On the other hand, the red-shafted northern flickers have a red shaft on their primaries.
To differentiate between the males and females of these two subspecies, look for red or yellow “mustache” stripes across the sides of their faces.
These woodpeckers not only like to reside near trees and woodlands, but also like to spend some time close to humans by showing up in yards and parks. Like other woodpeckers, northern flickers also like to cozy up inside holes of tree barks that are sometimes as deep as 13-16 inches.
A fun fact about these flickers is that, at times, they may also rent burrows that had been vacated by kingfishers!
While they strut on the ground and voyage in the open sky, they feed on insects as well as fruits, nuts and berries. They use their long tongues that can dart out as far as 2 inches to catch insects flying about.
Their favorite thing to eat are ants. Northern Flickers are often seen hammering on the ground or sifting through cow dung to find ants and devour them. The formic acid from ants are used by the bird to preen itself.
Hairy Woodpecker
Source: @yeons_photography
- Scientific name: Leuconotopicus villosus
- Size: 18 to 26 cm (7.1 to 10.2 inches)
- Locality: All across New Mexico
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: April to October
Hairy woodpeckers are mostly black and white in appearance, closely similar to downy woodpeckers. The upper wings are, for the most part, black with white spots distributed throughout. Their eyes are beautifully outlined with white colored stripes, with the males boasting a red patch on the back of their heads.
New Mexican deciduous forests host these lovely visitors all throughout the year. Hairy woodpecker couples looking to mate will drill holes in tree barks and lay around 4 eggs at a time. New Mexicans do not usually have to say goodbye to these woodpeckers anytime during the year because they are non-migratory.
These avians excavate tree barks to find out insects, and European corn borer moths are their favorite food. Berries, nuts and even tree-sap could be their alternative chewables.
Ladder-Backed Woodpecker
Source: @bird.whisperer
- Scientific name: Dryobates scalaris
- Size: 16.5 to 19 cm (6.5 to 7.5 inches)
- Locality: Most of Mexico
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Late January to March
With their striking black and white plumage, these tiny woodpeckers hover across the Mexican sky showing off their ladder-striped wings. The rump of the woodpecker is speckled in black, whereas their breast and flank regions are cream-colored. The males bear a red stripe on their crown.
Unlike most other woodpeckers that like to nest in tree barks mostly, ladder-backed woodpeckers can be spotted in dense brushy areas and thickets too. In the auburn deserts and arid areas of New Mexico, these birds could be found nestling their babies inside the bodies of cacti even.
The ladder-backed woodpeckers have bills like chisels, and with the help of these, the birds bore holes into the barks of trees to look for insects. Any kind of fruits borne by cacti plants are also their favorite.
Acorn Woodpecker
Source: @capecodbirds
- Scientific name: Melanerpes formicivorus
- Size: 19 to 23 cm (7.5 to 9.1 inches)
- Locality: All across New Mexico
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Late May through Early September
The acorn woodpeckers look stunning as they tread busily along a tree branch with their magnificent brownish-black crown, wings and tail. However, they will deceive you with sharply contrasting white belly, front and underwings.
Baby acorn woodpeckers have dark eyes that turn whitish as they grow. Some subspecies may even have greenish feathers on their backs. Males have a red cap, whereas females have black ones.
Acorn woodpeckers, like other avians of their genus, like to breed at higher altitudes, sometimes up to the treeline. Oaks are their beloved place to mate, breed and nestle. However, some of these birds may be found building a home inside the dead barks of trees at foothills.
Like its name implies, yes, you are right, these woodpeckers survive on acorns. These avians wait for autumn to come so that they can thrive on the seasonal acorn plantations. They drill holes inside tree trunks to store their granary and some woodpeckers stay stand-by to guard the provisions from competitors.
Alternatively, they also gobble up fruits, nuts and seeds, and make holes to drink tree sap.
Arizona Woodpecker
Source: @crazed4birds
- Scientific name: Leuconotopicus arizonae
- Size: 18 to 20 cm (7 to 8 inches)
- Locality: Southern, Western and South-Western New Mexico
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Mid May
These gentle brown-backed feathered creatures are native to south-western New Mexico and Arizona. In New Mexico, they can easily be spotted in the oak woodlands along the mountains close to the Mexican borders.
Arizona woodpeckers are mostly brown and white in color, with the crown, nape and upper-wings a light brown concealing the darker shades of brown in the underparts. The sides of the head and the belly region are mostly white, speckled with brown. Male counterparts have a red patch on the back of the head.
In New Mexico, these beautiful avians are usually spotted near the oak woodlands grazing the mid-levels of mountains and at the foothills. They drill cavities in dead stumps of trees nearer to the ground just like other woodpeckers.
The birds pull off and drill into tree barks to find insects, larvae of beetles being their ideal munchies. Arizona woodpeckers are quite acrobatic and like to probe at flowers and succulents by hanging upside-down from tree branches!
Red-Naped Sapsucker
Source: @birdladyaz
- Scientific name: Sphyrapicus nuchalis
- Size: 19 to 21 cm (7.5 to 8.3 inches)
- Locality: Southwest Corner of New Mexico
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: April to October
Red-naped sapsuckers can be commonly sighted across the Great Basin and the Rocky Mountain Range of New Mexico. They may migrate but only short distances. Adults have red foreheads, crowns and under-throat regions with the rest of the body black, spotted or striped in white.
Boring cavities inside the barks of dead trees is a necessary activity for these birds to breed and store their provisions in. Aspen and poplar trees are their favorite spots to inhabit. Pine oak woods and orchards are also preferred for nesting purposes.
Known as sapsuckers, these birds adore the sap flowing out of decaying barks of trees that they have drilled holes into. They also like insects, berries and fruits.
Uncommon Woodpeckers in New Mexico
As we got the common woodpeckers out of the way, let’s look at the species that aren’t as highly seen but are known for taking shelter in New Mexico at certain times of the year.
American Three-Toed Woodpecker
Source: @bird.whisperer
- Scientific name: Picoides dorsalis
- Size: 21 to 23 cm (8.3 to 9.1 inches)
- Locality: Certain Spots of Central New Mexico
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Between June and September
Though the three-toed woodpeckers can be easily spotted in the northern parts of America, in New Mexico they are barely visible. They have such a name because most woodpeckers have four toes, whereas this one has only three!
Three-toed woodpeckers are normally black on the outer wings and tail areas, and white on throat and belly regions. There are black and white criss-crossing bars all throughout their body. Male three-toed woodpeckers have a yellow cap.
Each year pairs who are looking to breed, drill holes in dead or living coniferous trees. These avians migrate from the northern regions of America to New Mexico during the Mexican summers, to leave again in winter months.
Beetle infestations in old and rotting conifers are a favorite foraging ground for the three-toed woodpeckers. They also survive on fruits and tree sap.
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Source: @bird_maiden
- Scientific name: Sphyrapicus varius
- Size: 19 to 21 cm (7.5 to 8.25 inches)
- Locality: Certain Spots of North-Central New Mexico
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Canadian Summers
Around the Albuquerque and Las Cruces area of north-central New Mexico, a very rare sighting of yellow-bellied species of woodpeckers could be made! They do not breed in New Mexico but choose the summers of Canada and Northeastern US for that purpose. The birds spend only winters in New Mexico.
The male counterparts of these gorgeous looking birds have bright red or yellow foreheads, whereas female ones have a lighter shade of the colors. White stripes may be visible from the eyes to the nape region.
The throat and chin segments are white in the female and red in the male. Though they are called yellow-bellied, the central part of their belly region is only a pale yellow.
Yellow-bellied sapsuckers usually choose altitudes higher than 6,600 feet (2000 meters) to breed and nestle. Therefore, they usually choose deciduous and coniferous forests as their homes. When they are not breeding, they can be found in woodlands and open habitats in suburban areas.
Small arthropods like beetles and ants, as well as fruits and nuts make the diet of these yellow-bellied woodpeckers. During the summer and autumn season, tree sap is their primary source of nutrition, thus the name!
Golden-Fronted Woodpecker
Source: @david_tibbals_photography
- Scientific name: Melanerpes aurifrons
- Size: 22 to 26 cm (8.7 to 10 inches)
- Locality: Mexican Plateau (From Rio Grande River to the Mountain Ranges)
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Early to Mid March
Found mainly in southern parts of the United States and a few segments of Central America, golden-fronted woodpeckers fly all the way to Eastern Mexico and the Mexican Plateau.
Adult males flaunt a golden-reddish crown and golden to yellow nape, whereas females bear a grayish crown and a paler yellow back. Most of their back is spotted or striped in black and white. Certain subspecies may appear to have light-yellowish patches on their belly.
These splendid looking birds thrive in places like riverine woodlands, groves and mesquites. They can also be spotted along the borderlines of tropical forests. When they have found a dead and rotting mesquite or oak, they drill shallow cavities that may be used all year round.
The golden-fronted woodpeckers forage on tree trunks and branches to look for insects. Scavenger hunts for arthropods are also made on the grounds and in flights. Mesquite pods are also their favorite thing to crack and eat the seeds from.
Red-Bellied Sapsucker
Source: @hjerng_photography
- Scientific name: Melanerpes corolinus
- Size: 22.9 to 26.7 cm (9 to 10.5 inches)
- Locality: Occasionally sighted in New Mexico
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Between March and April or May onwards
Being a native of Eastern and South-Eastern America, red-bellied sapsuckers barely pay a visit to New Mexico. It has been reported that in the last decade these birds have been spotted only a couple of times. Rare or not, these avians are a sight to wait for owing to their bright colors!
Fully-grown males have a bright red patch extending from the front of their head all the way to the nape. The female counterparts have detached red patches around the same region. The rest of the body is black and white. The lower part of their belly has a reddish hue causing the name of the bird.
This species of Melanerpes genus prefers to stay in groves, woodlands and orchards. Though deciduous forests near rivers and marshes are their treasured habitat, they can also be spotted near country farms and suburbs. Like all other woodpeckers, they like to cuddle in excavated and abandoned tree cavities.
These birds like to prepare for harsh winter conditions by collecting granaries like seeds, nuts and acorns during the fall season and storing them inside trunk crevices.
Perching on tree branches and soaring high to catch insects is their tried-and-tested foraging technique. Their diet may surprisingly include eggs of small birds, tree frogs and even tiny fish.
Pileated Woodpecker
Source: @rj_daroza
- Scientific name: Dryocopus pileatus
- Size: 40 to 50 cm (16 to 19 inches)
- Locality: Montane Ecosystems of Western Mexico
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Late March and Early April
The Latin word ‘pileatus’ means ‘capped’ that represents the fiery and magnificent red crown that the pileated woodpeckers brandish in the natural world. Once extinct between the 18th and 19th century due to clearing of the eastern forests, these majestic avians made a comeback in the 1900s.
Native to eastern North America and Canada, pileated woodpeckers can seldom be seen in the montane growths of western New Mexico. Besides the stunning red crown, the birds may have whites on the sides of their throat and down their backs. In adult males, a red line may be visible from the beak to the throat.
Their habitat is mixed deciduous and coniferous forests. Swamps and Douglas-fir forests often get frequented and inhabited by these avians. These birds drill large holes in the barks of dead trees and they are oddly rectangular in shape!
Pileated woodpeckers are ant-eaters and carpenter ants are their favorite food. Besides this, termites and beetles are their second preference. Berries and nuts are not forgotten as well and these birds may hang acrobatically from branches to chew on some juicy berries.
Full Red Head Woodpeckers in New Mexico
Almost all species of woodpeckers in New Mexico have red spots, crowns or patches on their head regions, but they are not predominant enough for the woodpeckers to be called ‘red-headed’. For your convenience, we have listed out two such woodpeckers whose full heads are flaming red in color.
Red-Headed Woodpecker
Source: @m_salazar_nature
- Scientific name: Melanerpes erythrocephalus
- Size: 19 to 25 cm (7.5 to 9.8 inches)
- Locality: Eastern and North-Eastern Plains, North Central New Mexico
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: April to October
Fairly native to New Mexico and easily visible across Pecos River Valley to Fort Sumner, the red-headed woodpeckers are full crimson up to their necks giving them a red-hooded appearance. The rest of the body is covered with black, white and gray plumage.
Orchards, farms, groves, forest clearings and even shaded trees in towns are these woodpeckers’ most preferred habitat. These beautiful creatures, like all other woodpeckers, hammer holes into dead barks ranging anywhere between a few feet to 65 feet above the ground.
Being opportunistic in nature, the red-headed woodpeckers forage on nuts, berries and insects using several tactics. They hop on the ground, clamber and sally along barks and fly to catch their prey. They hide their acorns and beechnuts in holes for winter.
Red-Breasted Sapsucker
Source: @blakenbirds
- Scientific name: Sphyrapicus ruber
- Size: 20 to 22 cm (7 to 9 inches)
- Locality: Beaches and National Forests of New Mexico
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: April through July
Red-breasted sapsuckers are barely visible in New Mexico as they are not native to the area. Occasionally, they could be sighted along the coastal areas of Baja California and in the Gila National Forest of New Mexico.
These birds are natives to the northwestern coastal areas of North America. In winters they find these regions too cold to breed and nestle in, so they move to the southern coastlands.
Red-breasted sapsuckers flaunt full-red head and breast regions, while their belly and rump areas are white. Most of the rear side is black with a white spot on their exterior wings.
In winter, red-breasted sapsuckers are found to reside in deciduous forests of aspen groves, whereas in summer they are spotted on the coniferous trees like spruce or hemlocks. In mountainous regions, these avians prefer to stay in alder or willow trees. They drill holes inside the bark of trees as their living place.
Holes hammered out of deciduous and coniferous trees ooze out with sap that these birds adore. Insects and bits of cambium are also among their favorites. Berries and other fruits are included in their diet too.
Woodpeckers in New Mexico with Uniquely Colored Belly and Back
Apart from the woodpeckers mentioned above, there are still a few more woodpeckers in New Mexico whose features set them apart from others. Some have pink or yellow belly instead of the usual white or brown, and some may have rung-shaped stripes running down their back. Let’s get introduced to them.
Lewis’s Woodpecker
Source: @jennybowlden_photography
- Scientific name: Melanerpes lewis
- Size: 25 to 28 cm (10 to 11 inches)
- Locality: All across New Mexico
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Late April to July
Populating the entire western side of the United States including New Mexico, these pink-bellied feathered creatures boast shiny black upper-wings with a greenish hue. The front of the face is red, whereas the collar and the rump are gray and black respectively.
Lewis’s woodpeckers are often found boring holes and nesting among scattered trees and pine woodlands. Cottonwood groves and open burnt lands are also places they like to rest in. These smart birds prepare for winter in advance, so in autumn they start searching for date palms and fruit orchards .
Nuts, berries, acorns and insects–you name it, all are ideal food items for these foragers. These avians hover overhead or swoop down to hunt for arthropods of their choice. These pink-bellied birds collect acorns, break them open with their bills and store the edible parts inside the crevices of tree barks.
Williamson’s Sapsucker
Source: @a_viduetsky
- Scientific name: Sphyrapicus thyroideus
- Size: 21 to 25 cm (8.3 to 9.8 inches)
- Locality: All across New Mexico
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Late May to Mid July
Williamson’s sapsuckers are majestic looking woodpeckers with a personality of their own. Flaunting a shiny black ‘mohawk’ crown on their heads, and bright yellow breast and belly regions, these birds are a sight to behold. The rest of the body of this yellow-bellied woodpecker is iridescent black with white stripes along their beak and nape areas.
These yellow breasted sapsuckers prefer conifer trees to drill their shelter into, and trees like spruce, fir, pine and larch are their most preferred habitats. They usually drill cavities 5 to 50 feet above the ground into trees that have a dead heartwood but living external layers.
They depend heavily on tree sap, but they also eat fruits, berries and nuts. Insects are also appetizing to these birds. The insects are caught either during flights or on the barks of trees.
Gila Woodpecker
Source: @simonjgerber
- Scientific name: Melanerpes uropygialis
- Size: 20 to 25 cm (8 to 10 inches)
- Locality: Southwest New Mexico
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: April through August
A noisy and brash species, Gila woodpeckers thrive in the desert regions of New Mexico but they can quickly move to the suburbs if need be. These birds have a brown head and underparts, with black and white zebra-striped upper wings making them look a lot like the ladder-backed woodpeckers.
Saguaro cacti and mesquite succulents are two of the most favorite nesting places for these woodpeckers. The holes that are dug here are later used by other birds too. Groves, cottonwoods and desert washes are preferred spots also.
Cactus fruits and berries of shrubs are highly palatable to these species of woodpeckers. Nectar from flowers is also sought after. Gila woodpeckers also hunt for insects like lizards and earthworms.
FAQ
Here we have tried to list out a few frequently asked questions that will strengthen your understanding of the lives of these beautiful feathered friends of ours. You may also treat these questions as a quiz to check where you stand at your conceptual knowledge and to broaden your perception.
Q: Which woodpeckers in New Mexico look similar and how to tell them apart?
Ans: The Downy and the Hairy woodpeckers look quite similar, yet different.
Pay close attention to the size of the beak, their overall body size, and the color of their tail feathers. Hairy woodpeckers have really long and pointed beaks almost equal to the size of their own head, whereas the bills of Downy woodpeckers are one-third of the size of their head.
Hairy woodpeckers are about the size of robins, whereas Downies are as big as sparrows. Therefore the Hairy species is larger than the Downies.
Q: Do woodpeckers in New Mexico help protect the environment?
Ans: Yes, they do. The birds help control the population of certain moth and beetle species that otherwise destroy crops in North America.
Not only that, certain woodpecker species dig holes in barks of trees that can be later used by other birds or animals as shelter or protection.
Q: Which woodpecker in New Mexico is the largest?
Ans: The Northern Flicker woodpeckers are the largest among the commonly
sighted birds of their kind. Pileated woodpeckers are even larger but they
are barely visible in New Mexico.
Thoughts
The woodpeckers in New Mexico are varied – some more visible than the others. Their colors truly mesmerize us. Most of the woodpeckers in New Mexico have a red crown or spot on their head or neck region, with the rest of their bodies either brown or black and white.
The woodpeckers in New Mexico mostly excavate cavities inside the barks of deciduous and coniferous trees, and sometimes inside succulents and cacti. They survive on tree sap, berries, nuts and insects of all sorts. They hunt either by flying or by hopping about on the ground or tree branches.
These woodpeckers help protect the environment of New Mexico by controlling insect populations and helping out other birds and animals. We must do all that is required to help protect the diversity and population of these beautiful birds so that they thrive and continue contributing in harmonizing the ecosystem.
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Audio Credits: xeno-canto, wikimedia
