With its varied landscapes ranging from mountain forests to red rock deserts, Utah offers a suitable habitat for various woodpeckers, some quite uncommon. Like, the Lewis’s woodpecker thrives in its mountains and larger tracts of old-growth forests, especially ponderosa pines. The red-naped sapsucker is a migratory species that inhabits the valleys of the Rocky Mountains in the winter. At that time, it is often seen in residential areas of the state. The American three-toed woodpecker, the hardiest of all, breeds in the northernmost parts and the central mountains.
Different Types of Woodpeckers Found in Utah
Name
Identifying Features
Where They Are Found in Utah
Downy Woodpecker
Small size, black and white plumage, red spot on back of head
Throughout the state
Hairy Woodpecker
Larger than Downy, similar plumage
Wooded areas, forests, and suburban neighborhoods
Northern Flicker
Brown plumage with black spots, white rump
Open areas, woodlands, and urban parks
Lewis’s Woodpecker
Dark greenish-black plumage, pink belly
Open woodlands, burned areas, and river valleys
Red-naped Sapsucker
Red patch on nape, white belly
Forested areas, parks, and wooded suburbs
Williamson’s Sapsucker
Black and white plumage, red throat and chest
Coniferous forests and mixed woodlands in western Utah
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Black and white barred plumage, spotted back
Arid regions, deserts, and scrublands in southern and eastern Utah
American Three-toed Woodpecker
Black and white plumage
Found in remote coniferous forests
Acorn Woodpecker
Black back with white spots, white underside
Oak woodlands and mixed forests throughout the state
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Yellow belly and white stripes on wings
Forested areas, orchards, and wooded suburban neighborhoods
Gilded Flicker
Golden-yellow plumage with black markings
Arid regions, deserts, and open woodlands in southern Utah
Red-headed Woodpecker
Entirely red head and neck
Sparse populations in open woodlands and along rivers
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Red throat and breast, white belly
Coniferous forests and wooded areas in mountainous regions
The American three-toed woodpecker, rare in Utah, can be best viewed in the Ashley National Forest and Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. The Zion National Park in southwestern Utah hosts another occasional species, the acorn woodpecker. The red-breasted sapsucker is extremely rare, with its last sighting recorded in 2004. The yellow-bellied sapsucker is also an occasional species, last seen here in 2020.
