Melanerpes uropygialis
Silhouette: Jason Dilworth · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
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 |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Gila Woodpecker sighting in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 334 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 49th most-seen of the 237 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Gila Woodpecker in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against about 10% in July and December, the lowest months.
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.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Gila Woodpecker sightings, El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve ranks 4th at about 20%. The best odds are in Saguaro National Park (United States, about 90%), Cabo Pulmo National Park (Mexico, about 80%) and Bahía de Loreto National Park (Mexico, about 60%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gila Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve (334 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.
