Woodpeckers in Arizona

For many years, the only woodpecker I knew was not real.   Later, having moved to Arizona and discovered a passion for nature and wildlife, I soon realized that the Southwestern individuals in this family of birds bore no resemblance to Woody in the cartoon.

When I started visiting Prescott regularly, I quickly became familiar with the mountain-loving acorn woodpecker.  These penguin-looking birds have been referred to as a 'troupe of wide-eyed clowns,' and a short time witnessing a group's tree-darting and squawking made me agree with the metaphor.  In fact, the creator of the "Woody the Woodpecker" cartoons was supposedly inspired during an encounter with this bird's raucous noise-making while staying in a cabin.

Arizona is home to many species of the woodpecker, all in the family picidae, whose members span most of the globe.  While all of the local birds aren't as noisy as the acorn, most seem to exhibit the tell-tale woodpecker behavior of foraging for insects on trunks and branches, while clinging at perilous angles, and drumming on trees and roofs to attract the attention of others in their species.  And yes, some enthusiastically peck at wooden houses while either storing nuts or hunting food.

In my limited experience, I've been able to discern the unique sounds of a few species, discerning an acorn's loud squawk from a flicker's shrill  "kyeer" and a hairy woodpecker's gentle squeak.  However, the closest I've come to hearing anything resembling the famous Woody's laugh, might be the ladder-backed woodpecker's fast and high rattle.

The story goes that both the cartoon character's final image and laugh was based on the pileated woodpecker, one of the largest in the family.  Alas, this beautiful and colorful bird is not found in Arizona.  So I'll have to wait for an adventure in the east or north to finally meet the real Woody the Woodpecker.

Male Gila woodpecker, Phoenix.

Female Gila woodpecker, Phoenix.

Male gilded flicker, Phoenix.

Male northern flicker (red-shafted form), Prescott. He's practically identical to the gilded, except his range is farther north and his under tail and wing feathers are reddish vs yellow.

Male northern flicker (red-shafted form), Prescott.

Male hairy woodpecker, Flagstaff.

Female hairy woodpecker, Prescott.

Male acorn woodpecker, Prescott.

Female acorn woodpecker, Prescott.

Female Arizona woodpecker, Madera Canyon.

Male Arizona woodpecker, Madera Canyon.

Male Williamson's sapsucker, Munds Park.

Female Williamson's sapsucker, Munds Park.

Female ladder-backed woodpecker, Lower Salt River.

Red-naped sapsucker, Madera Canyon.

Every time I travel east, I hope to see a pileated woodpecker.  So far I've failed in this endeavor and have just manged to shoot images of him, like in this home's street sign near Pelican Lake, Minnesota.  But my pursuit of the real-live Woody continues!