Mr. Gilman (1915) writes:
As a neighbor, the Gila Woodpecker is permanently on the map, and is afraid neither of being seen nor heard. He is much in the public ear with a variety of notes and calls. His sociable conversational notes somewhat resemble those of the California Woodpecker but are shriller. In such of his notes as are directed at humanity there is a peevish complaining tone, especially if closely approached when feeding on fruit or some other delicacy. In such cases there is only one term that exactly describes his attitude and utterances, and that is the phrase “belly-aching.” In fact all of his talk at us has a distinctly “colicky” tone and one feels like giving him something to whine about. His ordinary call slightly resembles that of the Flicker but is not quite so loud; altogether he is quite a conversationalist.
Field marks.—The Gila woodpecker should be easily recognized as a medium-sized woodpecker, about the size of a hairy woodpecker, with a grayish-brown head, neck, and under parts and a back narrowly barred with black and white; in flight a white patch shows in the wing and basal half of the primaries, and the black and white barring on the central tail feathers is rather conspicuous; the red crown patch of the male is conspicuous only at short range.
Fall.—This woodpecker is apparently somewhat given to wandering in fall and spring, for W. E. D. Scott (1886) says that he does not see it about his house, at an elevation of 4,500 feet in Pinal County, Ariz., in summer, but that it is rather common there in fall and spring.
DISTRIBUTION
Range.—Southwestern United States and western Mexico; nonmigratory.
The range of the Gila woodpecker extends north to extreme southern Nevada (Clark County); southern Arizona (Sacaton, Rock Canyon, and Tombstone); and southwestern New Mexico (Red Rock and probably Gila). East to New Mexico (probably Gila); eastern Sonora (Fronteras, Boca de Huachy, and Nuri); southwestern Chihuahua (Batopilas); western Durango (Chacala); and western Zacatecas (Calvillo). South to southwestern Zacatecas (Calvillo); and Jalisco (Guadalajara, Santa Ano, and Rio Ameca). West to Jalisco (Rio Ameca); Nayarit (Tepic and San Blas); southwestern Sinaloa (Escuinapa, Labrados, and Mazatlan); Baja California (Cape San Lucas, Santa Margarita Island, San Ignacio, Rosario, San Quintin, Las Palmas, and the Alamo River); southeastern California (Calexico, probably Brawley, Palo Verde, and Needles); and southern Nevada (Clark County).
This species has been separated into three geographic races, or subspecies. Typical C. u. uropygialis is the form found in that part of the range lying in the United States, and this race also is the one found in the western mainland of Mexico. The cardon woodpecker (C. u. cardonensis) is found in the northern part of Baja California south to about latitude 28° N. Brewster’s woodpecker (C. u. brewsteri) occupies the cape district of Baja California north to San Ignacio and including also Santa Margarita Island.
- Egg dates.—Arizona: 26 records, April 7 to May 30; 13 records, May 5 to 25, indicating the height of the season.
- Baja California: 10 records, April 21 to June 2.