Nuttall's Woodpecker

Nuttall's Woodpecker

Dryobates nuttallii

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at San Diego

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

11,994 Verified sightings at San Diego
593 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Nuttall's Woodpecker

Nuttall's woodpecker (Dryobates nuttallii) is a species of woodpecker named after naturalist Thomas Nuttall in 1843. They are found in oak woodlands of California and are similar to the ladder-backed woodpecker in both genetics and appearance.

Nuttall's woodpecker has striped black and white patterned wings and tail feathers with white. Its undercarriage is a primarily white coat with a few spotted black regions. It has a black forehead with white streaks on the sides and an unbarred black region at the top of the back. Adult males have a distinguishable red crown which females do not. However, this physical feature is present in the juvenile of both sexes. Juvenile birds look nearly identical to adults, excluding that juveniles typically have some white color in the form of streaks on their heads. They have zygodactyl feet, where the two toes facing forward and two facing backward along with stiff tail feathers which allows them to maintain a secure, vertical position on trees; typical of woodpeckers. The mass of the Nuttall's woodpecker ranges from 30 to 45 g (1.1 to 1.6 oz), with a body length of 16 to 18 cm (6.3 to 7.1 in). It is traditionally classified a small... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:07

United States · 2022

© Thomas G. Graves · XC743814 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Begging call1:26

United States · 2020

© Steve Hampton · XC562170 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Flight call0:08

United States · 2019

© Paul Marvin · XC482294 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
3 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sacramento 🇺🇸 United States
~60%
2 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
3 San Francisco 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
4 San Diego 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
5 Tijuana 🇲🇽 México
~20%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Nuttall's Woodpecker in San Diego?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Nuttall's Woodpecker sighting in San Diego on a given day, based on 11,994 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 26th most-seen of the 386 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Nuttall's Woodpecker in San Diego?

October

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Nuttall's Woodpecker in San Diego on a given day, against about 20% in January–March and August, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Nuttall's Woodpecker?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Nuttall's 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.

Is San Diego the best place to see a Nuttall's Woodpecker?

4th of 5

Of the 5 cities where we can rate Nuttall's Woodpecker sightings, San Diego ranks 4th at about 30%. The best odds are in Sacramento (United States, about 60%), Los Angeles (United States, about 40%) and San Francisco (United States, about 40%).

Where does the Nuttall's Woodpecker sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Nuttall's Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in San Diego (11,994 verified sightings), 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.

← Back to San Diego