General Description: Nuttall's Woodpeckers (Picoides nuttallii) are small, sexually dimorphic woodpeckers of the oaks. They have black-and-white bars on the back and black-and-white stripes on the face. Males have a red cap.

Nuttall's closely resemble Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, which we have around Las Vegas; however, Nuttall's are more black and less white (on the face and back, the black lines are wider and the white lines are narrower), and the outer tail feathers are more spotted than barred. Nuttall's Woodpeckers live in dry oak country over in California.

Taxonomy: Piciformes, Picidae, Picinae.

Favored Habitat: Chaparral, oak woodlands, and some desert scrub areas (e.g., Joshua Tree National Park).

Where to Find: Don't look for Nuttall's Woodpecker around Las Vegas. Rather, look for them on trips to California. They can be found in Joshua Tree National Park, in more moist areas of southern California, and the coastal mountains of California.