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Family: Picidae, Woodpeckers
Description 7-7 1/2" (18-19 cm). Similar to Ladder-backed Woodpecker, but with black cheeks and wider black bars on back; black and white areas more sharply contrasting. Where its range overlaps that of Ladder-backed, it can be distinguished by its call.
Habitat Canyon scrub oaks, oak woodlands, and streamside growth.
Nesting 3-6 white eggs in a hole excavated in a thin dead branch of an oak or cottonwood, or even a large, thick-stemmed elderberry bush.
Range Resident from northern California to Baja California.
Voice A rolling call, prreep; a sharp pit-it.
Discussion A small and retiring woodpecker, Nuttall's is often hidden in foliage and may be heard before it is seen. It forages by gleaning the bark, sometimes tapping and drilling, and occasionally hawking for insects.
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