BREEDING BIRDS: NUTTALL’S WOODPECKER

NUTTALL’S WOODPECKER

(Picoides borealis)

Description: Has narrow black and white bars on its back with solid black patches just below the nape; white-spotted outer tail feathers.

Habitat: Prefers chaparral and scrub oak stands. Also seen in wooded canyons and in trees along stream sides.

Diet: Insects, acorns, berries, sap and grain. Forages on tree trunks, routing out insects with its long, pointed beak.

Displays: Very territorial. Warns off invaders with aerial displays and by bobbing its head and raising its wings.

Nest: Usually built in dead riparian deciduous trees.

Eggs: White; less than one inch long.

Breeding bird atlas: To report bird breeding activity in your neighborhood, or to get information on the breeding bird atlas, call Sea and Sage Audubon Society members Sylvia Gallagher, (714) 962-8990, or Nancy Kenyon, (714) 786-3160.

Note: Map is divided into 5-kilometer squares so that Audubon Society volunteers can more easily survey areas on a regular basis.

Sources: Sea and Sage Audubon Society; “The Birder’s Handbook,” Ehrlich, Dobkin and Wheye, Fireside Books (1988); “Field Guide to the Birds of North America,” National Geographic Society (1987); “Birds of Southern California: Status and Distribution,” Garrett and Dunn, Los Angeles Audubon Society (1981).

Indicates 5-kilometer-square areas where breeding activity has been confirmed.