Gila Woodpecker
Gila Woodpecker has surged: up 272% on the route-weighted index since 1970.
About the Gila Woodpecker
The Gila Woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis) is a North American member of the Woodpeckers (Picidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the arid-land birds.
- Size
- 6–19.5 in long (15–50 cm) — a chisel-billed climber (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Deserts, dry scrub and brushland of the Southwest.
- Diet
- Seeds, insects and cactus fruit of arid-land plants.
- Range
- Recorded on 52 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 3 states, most concentrated in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts.
- Family
- Picidae · Arid-land birds
Notable Gila Woodpecker Trends
No notable trend signals for Gila Woodpecker. See the full index history below.
Gila Woodpecker Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Gila Woodpecker is projected to rise about 72% by 2029 — from 0.10 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.17 (95% range 0.10–0.25). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±25.2%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.16 | 0.09 | 0.24 |
| 2026 | 0.17 | 0.09 | 0.24 |
| 2027 | 0.17 | 0.09 | 0.24 |
| 2028 | 0.17 | 0.10 | 0.25 |
| 2029 | 0.17 | 0.10 | 0.25 |
Where the Gila Woodpecker Is Detected
BBS routes recording Gila Woodpecker, sized by most recent count.
Gila Woodpecker Population Trend by State
| Arizona | +187% | 1970 | 48 |
| California | +144% | 1977 | 3 |
| New Mexico | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
Gila Woodpecker Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Sonoran and Mojave Deserts | +229% | 1970 | 33 |
| Sierra Madre Occidental | +77% | 1970 | 16 |
Gila Woodpecker Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 272% since 1970.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.