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Male
Location: Lake Murray, La Mesa, CA
Date: 2006-03-05
Lens: Canon 300mm IS F4 + 1.4x II Converter

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Nutall's Woodpecker Picoides nuttallii


Description

This cute, little woodpecker prefers to climb around and feed in oak groves. Insects are the birds main diet. This bird is almost entirely restricted to California and is named after a California naturalist, Thomas Nutall.



Appearance

General: 6.5 to 7.5 inches in length.

Male: White underparts with black spots. Black upperparts with white bars. Black cheek. Black bill. Red cap on head.

Female: Similiar to male, except it lacks the red cap.



Habitat

Oak woodlands and streamside vegetation.



Nesting

3-6 white eggs with a 14 day incubation period. Fledging occurs 29 days after hatching. The eggs are laid in a hole in a thin, dead branch of an Oak or Cottonwood tree.






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