Nuttall's Woodpecker
Picoides nuttallii
Nuttall's Woodpeckers are located only in California (including Baja), where they are year-round residents. They prefer areas of Oak woodland. Their backs have narrow white stripes, without the white patch of the Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers that may be in the same woods. Only the males have the red patch on the rear part of their crowns. The male on the left was seen by the Briones Reservoir (EBMUD permit required) in Orinda, CA on November 2, 2017. The male on the right is bringing food to the nest in the Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in Antioch, CA on April 24, 2017. (Click on images to see enlarged versions.)