Gila Woodpecker: 5 Fascinating Facts!

The Gila Woodpecker is an extraordinary bird species that can only be found in select regions in North America. They are built to survive harsh environments and have some interesting ways of going about their life that make them incredibly fascinating. Here are five fascinating facts about the Gila Woodpecker.
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Thanks to Terry Sohl for allowing us to use his range maps
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Elf Owl photo at 1:48, and Gila Woodpecker in cover photo and in graphic with facts by Bill Grossmeyer
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[@Cassia5555]

Love them!!!❤❤❤ Have a saguaro 🌵 with a family inside. I have been blessed to see the babies being raised by dedicated parents!

[@lmsavy2935]

I have a Downy and a Red Bellied Woodpecker that visits my feeding deck every day. Thanks for the facts about this one. Awesome!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

You're welcome!

[@evanchurch3549]

They come to our hummingbird feeder every day here in Mesa AZ!

[@imaginethat9626]

I'm in Chandler, AZ and have the Gila Woodpeckers year 'round and love them! They also absolutely LOVE oranges (and grape jelly!), and since so many people in central AZ have citrus in their back yards, it's an easy thing to source. They are raucous and easy to ID by sound. The baby-faced young ones are adorable. My birding friend just recommended your channel yesterday. I'll comb my way through all past videos. Thanks.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Tell your friend thanks so much for recommending us and glad to have you here! That's cool about the citrus. Seems like a cool yard bird to have!

[@nathanwebb4836]

Those are awesome facts about the Gila woodpecker.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Thanks!

[@OneDayAtATime7]

I enjoyed this video and learning about the Gila Woodpecker, looks similar to the Red Bellied Woodpecker which is my favorite here in Wisconsin. Always nice to learn about birds in other regions of the country.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Glad you enjoyed the vid!

[@benslusher1698]

Love this video! Very helpful!

[@gordonkarre6364]

A couple of other food sources for Gila Woodpeckers are nectar from Saguaro Cactus and also sugar water from hummingbird feeds in urban areas.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

For sure! Very cool birds.

[@kateclark7250]

Thanks for telling us about these birds. I didn't know about them.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

You're welcome!

[@staufferfamily9629]

Very neat! Always enjoy learning about new species! Thank you!🙂

[@BadgerlandBirding]

You're welcome!

[@budduggly7781]

We have three "regulars" that visit everyday. They love using our hummingbird feeders..... I understand they are the only (or one of the only) bird species with a tongue capable of feeding like the hummers. They are awesome birds! Not a nuisance at all....but a treat!

[@mikey52034]

I looked this up while watching a woodpecker searching for food in a Palo Verde tree. The desert is beautiful if you look at it with the right perspective

[@Beryllahawk]

Great video! I've never actually seen one of these but boy did I hear them a lot in the summers when I visited southern AZ and my aunt who lives in that area.

[@user-gc8ds6qu6o]

They hang upside down from my hummingbird feeder and drink like crazy!

[@redrum4069]

I see them every winter out here in Las Vegas, NV.

[@donnaleighjenkins4952]

They really look a lot like Red-bellied Woodpeckers, which I have on my property. He has been very quiet past couple weeks, I hope he & the Mrs are still here. I never found their nest but they've been here all spring & summer. Great video Ryan!!

[@OspreyFlyer]

The Red-bellied and Golden-fronted Woodpeckers are very similar. Thanks for posting! 👍♥️

[@julieprior3126]

Great video. What interesting birds! I am amazed at how they avoid piercing their feet to bits on those closely spaced thorns. They look really sharp. Loved the footage of the female peeping out thro the nest entrance! 👍

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Yeah! Pretty crazy any animals are able to avoid them but they seem pretty good at it! I believe that's actually a baby in the cavity :) If I'm thinking about the right part of the video.

[@julieprior3126]

@@BadgerlandBirding Ah, I'll bet you're right - it will be a baby because it does look quite soft and fluffy!

[@gregoryaz8406]

Several in our area sit atop the street lights and peck on the housing, making a very loud sound you can hear all over the block. And as has been mentioned, they are notorious at emptying hummingbird feeders - even those without perch rails.

[@PeregrineBF]

Fact 6: They're sooo cute! This fact may apply to every bird species.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Can confirm 👍

[@estanislaomongelos4024]

It´s an amazing bird, I loved it. Great video. Do you have a video about bird notes? I haven´t find it. Thanks!

[@ripvanwinkle1819]

They absolutely devour peanut butter suet at my parents home in Arizona. More than any bird I have fed over the years. About one block per day, with 3 of them

[@blazertundra]

I love those birds. They are charismatic and chaotic little creatures. More fun facts: It's been said that they are attracted to houses with termite infestations. If one won't stop drilling holes in the stucco and does it all year, it's a good idea to call pest control. It could be more than just a young male exploring different textures with his beak. We once had a cellar spider problem on the back porch (they ate bugs attracted to the porch light) and one opportunistic female ate the entire colony of spiders in a few months. Her mate also ended an issue with bees taking over the hummingbird feeder. He got irritated by them bothering him while he was drinking and he ended up killing all the unwanted insect bullies by snatching them out of the air and spitting them out. Mind you, these were killer bees...

[@3coins.]

Never seen one, interesting.

[@delusionspodcast]

I have a male and female that love my hummingbird feeder lol

[@arandomcasualgamer3923]

What a weird species indeed. A woodpecker that doesn't peck wood. I guess a cactuspecker doesn't sound as interesting.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

They will peck wood, but we mostly saw them on the cacti!

[@arandomcasualgamer3923]

@@BadgerlandBirding ah so they do peck wood. Just not often. Got it

[@winnhill3736]

In Arkansas i have a woodpecker that looks exactly like the 1 in the video.I have plenty of red bellied and downeys and an occasional northern flicker and red headed pecker.I have seen this bird daily thinking that it's a juvenile red bellied but still no red belly or anything red yet.Just curious as to what it really is.😮

[@snowyowl5556]

Find us one, Ryan! 🤣

[@JohnSmith-mk1rj]

Gila Woodpecker... Like the lizard, Gila Monster. That's interesting. A foot long black/red or black/yellow lizard, the Gila Monster is poisonous but lacks front fangs. It also lives in inhospitable desert areas. Makes me wonder what 'Gila' means.

[@pauraque]

Gila is the name of a huge river that bisects Arizona.

[@JohnSmith-mk1rj]

@@pauraque Say word. 😳 That's interesting, thanks!

[@newjsdavid1]

I have one come by my apartment every day and do a 3-5s tap on the chimney vent.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Haha, if it's always at the same time, could be a cool alarm clock!

[@pauraque]

They don't vagrant... except for that god tier record from Sutro Heights in San Francisco!!! 🥵😈

[@vidsforsquids]

I’m in AZ and they will also destroy a hummingbird feeder to get to the contents!

[@budduggly7781]

We have 3 visit every day... I could see them being destructive, but they actually have not caused any damage. What they can do to the cactus in the area is a different story... Guess we've been lucky so far.