West · Pacific Flyway
Woodpeckers in California
Woodpeckers in California come down to 16 species with regular eBird records, led by the Nuttall's Woodpecker. Together they account for 2,460,232 of the 62 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 4.0% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: Nuttall's Woodpecker, Acorn Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, White-headed Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Lewis's Woodpecker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Williamson's Sapsucker, Red-naped Sapsucker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Black-backed Woodpecker, Gila Woodpecker and Red-headed Woodpecker. Woodpeckers are the birds you hear before you see: drumming on trunks, excavating nest cavities, and calling loudly from the canopy. Most are year-round residents, and the holes they leave behind become homes for owls, bluebirds, and other cavity nesters.
Woodpeckers in California: every species, most-reported first
Every woodpecker with at least 25 eBird records in the state from 2020–2024, most-reported first. The status label is derived from each species’ own monthly share of all state records.
1. Nuttall's Woodpecker (Dryobates nuttallii) — 675,934 records, 1.1% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) — 613,957 records, 1.0% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
3. Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) — 564,440 records, 0.9% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
4. Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) — 240,285 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
5. Hairy Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus) — 168,666 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
6. Red-breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber) — 71,131 records, 0.1% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
7. White-headed Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus albolarvatus) — 32,076 records, 0.05% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from May to August and peaking in June.
8. Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) — 28,860 records, 0.05% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from March to November and peaking in June.
9. Lewis's Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) — 23,665 records, 0.04% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
10. Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Dryobates scalaris) — 18,051 records, 0.03% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
11. Williamson's Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus thyroideus) — 7,850 records, 0.01% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from June to August and peaking in June.
12. Red-naped Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis) — 5,861 records, 0.01% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to March and peaking in January.
The remaining 4 species — Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Black-backed Woodpecker, Gila Woodpecker and Red-headed Woodpecker — are recorded regularly but in smaller numbers; see the cards above for their status.
When to see woodpeckers in California
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, woodpeckers are most prominent in June, October and July and least in February and April. 8 of the 16 species are year-round — Nuttall's Woodpecker, Acorn Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker and Red-breasted Sapsucker and 2 more — so there is no month without them.
Summer visitors. White-headed Woodpecker arrives around May and is mostly gone after August (peak June); Pileated Woodpecker arrives around March and is mostly gone after November (peak June); Williamson's Sapsucker arrives around June and is mostly gone after August (peak June); Black-backed Woodpecker arrives around June and is mostly gone after August (peak June).
Winter visitors. Red-naped Sapsucker arrives around October and leaves after March (peak January); Yellow-bellied Sapsucker arrives around November and leaves after March (peak January); Gila Woodpecker arrives around September and leaves after May (peak February).
Passage migrants. Red-headed Woodpecker is reported mainly in July.
Attracting woodpeckers to California backyards
Suet is the food that brings woodpeckers to feeders, with peanuts and black-oil sunflower seed close behind. Leaving a dead tree or large dead limb standing, where it is safe to do so, is the single most effective habitat step.
In California the woodpecker most likely to turn up is the Nuttall's Woodpecker, a year-round resident, followed by the Acorn Woodpecker.
Woodpeckers in California: FAQ
How many species of woodpeckers are there in California?
16 species of woodpeckers have regular eBird records in California (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Nuttall's Woodpecker, Acorn Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, White-headed Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Lewis's Woodpecker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Williamson's Sapsucker, Red-naped Sapsucker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Black-backed Woodpecker, Gila Woodpecker and Red-headed Woodpecker.
What is the most common woodpecker in California?
The Nuttall's Woodpecker, with 675,934 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Acorn Woodpecker with 613,957. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see woodpeckers in California?
June, October and July, when the combined share of California eBird records belonging to woodpeckers is highest. Summer visitors such as the White-headed Woodpecker arrive around May. Winter visitors such as the Red-naped Sapsucker arrive around October.
More birds in California
Woodpeckers in other states
Woodpeckers in California: sources
Every number on this page comes from the EOD – eBird Observation Dataset published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and distributed through GBIF under a CC BY 4.0 license: California records from 2020–2024, retrieved 2026-09-18. Species are drawn from the families Picidae; only species with at least 25 records are listed, and a species is called a year-round resident when its monthly share of state records stays above 30% of its own peak in ten or more months. “Records” are individual eBird observations, so they reflect how often birders report a species, not a population count.