Get a Landscaping or Gardening Quote
Enter your zip code
Woodpeckers are one of the most fascinating avians you could find in your backyard – and did you bed that there are11 species in Colorado ?
There ’s a in force chance that if you have more than one pecker visiting you , you may actually be act as emcee to a few different mintage !
Legend for the following woodpecker migration and range maps
Although the list below contain all the common woodpecker found in Colorado , it ’s potential to find a vagrant species of peckerwood that ’s not aboriginal to this particular state of matter . If you do see a vagrant species , it should be considered an extremely rarified sighting !
The follow legend can be used for each woodpecker species map to determine what prison term of year you could see each peckerwood in your area .
11 woodpecker species are found in Colorado , including the Red - Naped Sapsucker , Acorn Woodpecker , Hairy Woodpecker , American Three - toe Woodpecker , blood-red - headed Woodpecker , Williamson ’s sapsucker , Northern Flicker , Red - bellied Woodpecker , Ladder - back Woodpecker , Downy Woodpecker , and Lewis ’s Woodpecker . Several of these woodpecker metal money are permanent resident physician , while others are much rarer and can be only spotted seasonally .
Legend for the following woodpecker migration and range maps
The 11 Woodpecker Species in Colorado
Red-naped Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus nuchalis
Order : order Piciformes
fellowship : Picidae
Size:7.5 – 8.3 in ( 19 – 21 cm )
This popular sapsucker is a vulgar wench that ’s growing in numbers – and that ’s likely to tickle many peckerwood elsewhere , as this is a sapsucker likely to exit good deal of open holes for tasty sap . You ’ll normally spot them out in forests like other sapsuckers , but you may get one or two in your yard if you are favourable enough ! This pecker has an extraordinarily short clapper for its species , though that helps it to get at its daily sap . These sapsuckers can live to relatively old long time , with the oldest on platter being almost five years of long time .
The scarlet - naped sapsucker has – of line – a cherry-red nape , with white and black markings often colour its face , as well as its crown , body , and annexe . It can get quite large , and consecrate that it ’s fairly coarse , you should n’t have any problem find it .
These woodpecker tend to live in the mid - elevation forests of the intermountain West , from the Rocky Mountains westward to the eastern slopes of Washington and Oregon . Most individual transmigrate little distance with female person transmigrate further than male on norm . The northerly hoot move south into the westerly and southwestern United States .
Acorn Woodpecker
Melanerpes formicivorus
Size:7.5 – 9.1 in ( 19 – 23 cm )
The super - noisy acorn pecker is a born drummer , often rap its talons against tree branches ! They are so - name thanks to their leaning to hoard and hive away acorns for their immature 1 . They ’ll drop much of their lives hunt and protecting nuts for their brood to wipe out . Acorn pecker have fascinating social lives , often select to mate with multiple of the same species during a lifetime . The acorn woodpecker is one of few Picidae notable for quash monogamy . They also strain to guard their nests at all costs , too .
Other than noise , you ’ll recognize an acorn woodpecker thanks to its black-market - and - white color . The males have a sight of ruddy feathers on their jacket , while females have more inglorious coloring on the forehead .
You ’ll normally find that acorn woodpeckers reside towards the southwestward , with shuttlecock living in forestry deeply into California , Washington State , and even in Texas and Arizona . If you ’re golden , you may even spot a few out in Colorado , across the Rockies , and into Nevada .
Hairy Woodpecker
Dryobates villosus
Size:7.1 – 10.2 in ( 18 – 26 cm )
If there is a chance you ’re give out to spot a pecker in your backyard somewhere in the states , then it ’s probably going to be a hairy coinage ! The Dryobates villosus is extremely common , but it ’s actually fairly shy and retire . They have very simple calls but will be felicitous to exercise and drum on just about anything . They are also premier opportunists – they ’ll steal sap from holes drilled by other Bronx cheer ! The haired pecker is also roll in the hay for its mighty stack – it looks small , but it bore loudly !
The hirsute woodpecker naturally has a middling hairy appearance , though it ’s also notable for its relatively prospicient , pointed bill , as well as its clear-cut black and white-hot coloring . Some species , however , can bear a brownish tint . They are in general ashen to the chest and are speckled to the wings .
Where to start ? This Picidae does n’t tend to be fussy about climate , though you ’ll normally see it amongst conifers . There are more than eight million of these boo across the continent , and their numbers are mature – there are no especial states where they are most prolific .
American Three-toed Woodpecker
Picoides dorsalis
Size:8.3 – 9.1 in ( 21 – 23 cm )
These pecker are so - named thanks to the obvious differences in their feet – they lean to lean back further than most woodpecker thanks to their three toes ! They also tend to be some of the noisy , more aggressive peckers , so that they can get a better bang on the bark they round . American Three - toed woodpeckers tend to spend a lot of clip pecking and scaling away at one or two trees before they will take to go elsewhere – and they never get too mysterious into the barque .
As well as only having three toe , the American three - toed peckerwood is notable for get black / brown and white feathers , bespeckle , with a striking patterned face . Again , they can also be easy to fleck thanks to their pecking habit .
This Picidae is sadly one of the most endangered , though there are guess to be more than 1.4 million of them live across North America . They incline to inhabit forested muckle areas , and they also largely live the upper half of the continent . If you live in Alaska , British Columbia , or out towards Canada , you may be lucky enough to spot one or two .
Red-headed Woodpecker
genus Melanerpes erythrocephalus
This heavy , boldly - colored bird is a wonderful pot for many , and while you might not hear it call too often , its rattles and drumming on trees will probably be a common strait across its aboriginal states . However , it does n’t in reality peck at tree diagram for food – it snatch fly wildcat as they flutter past . This pecker has deplorably fallen in number over the years due to nutrient scarcity . However , when it ca n’t kidnap a glitch or two , it blithely feasts on nuts and acorn .
Their name is a game show – they have lustrous red crowns and heads , with snowy body feather and monochrome wings and rump . You probably wo n’t get word their claim too obstreperously .
These acorn - scrounge birds patronize the eastern to primal states , stretching up as far as prohibited Canada . They run to revel the warmer reaches , however , as they will frequent spots in Florida and down in New Mexico .
Williamson’s Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus thyroideus
Size:8.3 – 9.8 in ( 21 – 25 cm )
The Williamson ’s sapsucker is a woodpecker that seems to be bouncing back from endangered status – gratefully ! These are brilliantly hopeful - colored birds – at least when it come to male person ! As with other sapsuckers , this bird will gayly drill its way into trees and leave overnice pits for birds to get sap out of . This sapsucker is also cognise to consume ants and bugs out of the barque it sucks from , though this will normally occur when it is breed . It does n’t have a favorite Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree – it mirthfully pecks away in a mix of woodland .
Interestingly , the male person and females of this coinage often vary wildly – the male is extremely bright in coloring material , in terms of a black , sweeping pelage with yellows and reds to the front , while female person are dimmer in shadowiness , flecked and often brown in color .
Despite once being imperil , this razzing now thankfully shop at more of the mid - west than ever before . That said , the migrant patterns of this mintage are middling mysterious with some populations be intimate to transmigrate and others to be resident .
Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus
Size:11.0 – 12.2 in ( 28 – 31 cm )
This Picidae is make love by many , many different name – and you may well have date it referred to as the Yellow or Red - screw Flicker . It ’s a passably common raspberry and is also one of the largest woodpeckers living across the land . Unlike most peckers , however , they tend to feed mainly on ground insect – ants , in special ! This Flicker will pick out to hop around to eat , but may even prefer to site itself on branches from time to time when it envision a fruit treat or two .
The Northern Flicker has plumage color that can diverge ( hence its many name ) , but you could commonly spot these birds thanks to their blob tail coat and wing . They often have opprobrious markings around their face and tip , and you ’ll be able to evidence them apart from other Picidae on sheer size alone .
Northern Flickers be given to exist out east but can be found high up in the northwest reaches of Alaska , and even down towards the west coast – that applies to the yellow - shafted variety , in any case ! Flickers of this genus tend to be jolly vulgar across the US , with almost ten million specimens estimated at present in North America .
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Melanerpes carolinus
Size:9.4 in ( 24 curium )
Increasingly common , the red - belly woodpecker be given to enjoy flock to backyard feeders and has a call you might just spot . They only ever swot up during union or attracter , and if you ’ve ever attempt to tell these birds apart in terms of sex – it ’s almost impossible on glance alone . This is a mid - sized bird that does n’t incline to do too much scathe to tree diagram , it ’s one of the gentle woodpeckers you ’ll find in the US wilds . They tend to prefer smack away at hardwood and will cluster to forests when they are n’t at the feeder .
The cherry - belly woodpecker , of course , has a red tum , but you will mainly know it for its red - tinged diadem and its legal community - coated feathers , as well as a dark-brown - colored front and face . Again , it ’s voiceless to tell the male and females aside .
These woodpeckers tend to be usual sights out towards the east and southeasterly states , from Texas out to Florida . They do n’t incline to move around too much , peculiarly as they will slip nesting spots from other hiss !
Ladder-Backed Woodpecker
Dryobates scalaris
Size:6.3 – 7.1 in ( 16 – 18 atomic number 96 )
diminished but spunky , this is a monochromatic bird that you will usually find fluttering and drilling around the southern state . This boo loves the desiccant , warm mood , and tends to nestle deep into some of the less moist forests across these territories . Thankfully , they have a unchanging universe ! These woodpeckers are outgrowth foragers , choosing to peck around keenly for insect . They normally hide out themselves during forage – meaning they are not always easy to spot . That suppose , they do n’t lean to spend much time in the air , either .
Largely dark and white to the backs and offstage , these peckerwood often boast red crowns sweeping back , with black mark around their fount and beaks . They will often have brown tinge on their fronts , too .
The ladder - backed woodpecker tends to be a common sight across the southerly and southwestern states , and they can be assure further in the south in Central America . This tends to be a non - migrant peckerwood – it is often glad to stay local .
Downy Woodpecker
Dryobates pubescens
Size:5.5 – 6.7 in ( 14 – 17 centimetre )
Truly tiny , the precious puberulent woodpecker is a Picidae that ’s unwashed across the Union to central province . In fact , they are the smallest native woodpeckers in the area . They be given to prefer milder climates on the whole but are known to travel around . They use discriminating , unmarried phone call , and tend to enjoy feeding on seeds in confluent . If you have any peckerwood in your backyard , there is a very proficient chance it is a Dryobates pubescens . They are just larger than your common garden sparrow .
Exceptionally small-scale but unabashedly noisy , the downy woodpecker is largely black and whitened with spots , and the males tend to have carmine diadem . They have varying spot and stripes across their wings and feather – meaning that neither one nor two may ever depend the same !
The downy woodpecker lives just about everywhere across the United States , with sighting across states as diverse as Florida and Alaska ! If the climate is mild enough – and not too sunny – then there ’s every fortune you ’ll distinguish this bird in your thousand . There are around 13 million of them across the continent .
Lewis’s Woodpecker
genus Melanerpes lewis
Size:10.2 – 11.0 in ( 26 – 28 cm )
The Lewis ’s Woodpecker is reasonably rare , but also pretty unvoiced to miss when you do spot one ! This is a curious woodpecker in that it does n’t tend to beak into Ellen Price Wood for chuck – instead , it ’s more partial to use up the odd flying critter . unluckily , this is another woodpecker whose numbers are fairly rare , as its home ground is shrinking . The Lewis ’s Woodpecker is a little bit of a nomad in its nature , in that it will be felicitous to search for food in various territories across the yr . However , you ’ll normally find it in burned forests and pineland .
Boasting gorgeous crimson and black characteristic , Lewis ’s woodpecker tends to be rosy around the human face and schnozzle , and to the crown and front feather . You ’ll find it has a magnificent , sweeping , black feather to the wings and tail . You likely wo n’t pick up it pick at or drilling .
Lewis ’s woodpecker , while uncommon , tends to be spotted to the southwestern United States , as far out east as Oklahoma , and normally read up refuge in forests . However , you ’ll also find it in some point of California – a rare touch that ’s very rewarding .
How to Attract Colorado Woodpeckers to Your Yard
desire to see more woodpeckers in your backyard ?
As you could see , there are more than a few wonderful woodpecker species to wait out for across Colorado . Some may not flock to gardens and backyard in favour of timberland and woodland reaches – however , there ’s a luck a rare shuttlecock or two may make its means to you .
If you ’re keen to start spotting peckerwood in your yard , why not take a feeling at our guide onhow to appeal woodpeckers ? That ’ll give you the staple of what ’s require to attract woodpeckers .
Then , we ’d recommend read our buyer ’s guide onchoosing the best woodpecker self-feeder . set up a pecker birdfeeder or two is the best way to ensure that peckerwood will visit your grounds . While you ’re at it , do check that to read our full guide onwhat to bung woodpecker , too – as getting their diet right hand will make a lot of difference !
There are a clump of other ways to appeal woodpeckers such asgetting a bird bathand planting aboriginal tree diagram that peckerwood love .
All State Woodpeckers
Want to see what peckerwood species are find in other State Department ? Here ’s our complete inclination of woodpeckers find in each state :
