Melanerpes uropygialis
Silhouette: Jason Dilworth · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The Gila woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis) is a medium-sized woodpecker of the desert regions of the southwestern United States and western Mexico. In the U.S., they range through southeastern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico.
The back and wings of this bird are spotted and barred with a black and white zebra-like pattern. The neck, throat, belly and head are greyish-tan in color. The male has a small red cap on the top of the head. Females and juveniles birds are similar, but both lack the red cap of the adult male. White wing patches are prominent in flight. The dark tail has white bars on the central tail feathers. The birds range from 8–10 in (20–25 cm) in length.
This woodpecker's voice is a rolling churr sound. It also makes a yip yip yip sound and a kee-u, kee-u, kee-u sound. Its drum is long and steady. This woodpecker's habitat consists of low desert scrub typical of the Sonoran Desert, as well as arroyos (washes) and small towns. They build nests in holes made in saguaro cacti or mesquite trees. Cavities excavated by these woodpeckers in saguaro cacti (known as a... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México |
Very likely
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Gila Woodpecker sighting in Cabo Pulmo National Park on a given day, based on 150 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 100 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March–May and December
In those months about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Gila Woodpecker in Cabo Pulmo National Park on a given day, against about 70% in June and September, the lowest months. Those are among Cabo Pulmo National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 120 mm in September. July and August have too few records to rate.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gila Woodpecker sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Gila Woodpecker sightings, Cabo Pulmo National Park ranks 2nd at about 80%. The best odds are in Saguaro National Park (United States, about 90%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Picidae
The closest relatives of the Gila Woodpecker that you can see in Cabo Pulmo National Park (family Picidae, Woodpeckers) are Gilded Flicker (about 30%) and Ladder-backed Woodpecker (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gila Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Cabo Pulmo National Park (150 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
