Hairy Woodpecker
Hairy WoodpeckerHairy WoodpeckerHairy WoodpeckerHairy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Leuconotopicus villosus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered Endemic
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Saguaro National Park
13 Verified sightings at Saguaro National Park From 2019 to 2026
39,701 Verified sightings across all 54 parks From 2019 to 2026
May Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Hairy Woodpecker

The hairy woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus) is a medium-sized woodpecker that is found over a large area of North America. It is approximately 250 mm (9.8 in) in length with a 380 mm (15 in) wingspan. With an estimated population in 2020 of almost nine million individuals, the hairy woodpecker is listed by the IUCN as a species of least concern. The species was previously placed in the genus Dryobates.

The hairy woodpecker was described and illustrated with a hand-coloured plate by the English naturalist Mark Catesby in his The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands which was published between 1729 and 1732. When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition, he included the downy woodpecker, coined the binomial name Picus villosus and cited Catesby's book. The specific epithet villosus is the Latin word for "hairy". Linnaeus specified the type locality as America septentrionali (North America), with specific mention of Raccoon, New Jersey. The hairy woodpecker was formerly usually placed in either Dendrocopos or Picoides but a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2015 found that these genera... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park

Gila Woodpecker
LC

Gila Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Melanerpes uropygialis

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
LC

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Dryobates scalaris

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Northern Flicker
LC Endemic

Northern Flicker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Colaptes auratus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Gilded Flicker
LC

Gilded Flicker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Colaptes chrysoides

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Red-naped Sapsucker
LC

Red-naped Sapsucker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sphyrapicus nuchalis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Acorn Woodpecker
LC Endemic

Acorn Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Melanerpes formicivorus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Lewis's Woodpecker
LC

Lewis's Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Melanerpes lewis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
LC

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sphyrapicus varius

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Williamson's Sapsucker
LC

Williamson's Sapsucker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sphyrapicus thyroideus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Red-breasted Sapsucker
LC

Red-breasted Sapsucker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sphyrapicus ruber

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~40%
2 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
3 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
4 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
5 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
6 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
7 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
8 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
9 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
10 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
11 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
12 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
13 Wood Buffalo National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
14 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
15 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
16 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
17 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
18 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
19 Irazú Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
20 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
21 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
22 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
23 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
24 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
25 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
26 Guadalupe Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
27 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
28 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
29 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
30 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
31 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
32 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
33 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
34 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
35 Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
36 La Tigra National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
37 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
38 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
39 Celaque National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
40 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
41 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
42 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
43 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
44 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
45 Kenai Fjords National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
46 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
47 Badlands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
48 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
49 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
50 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
51 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
52 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
53 Katmai National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
54 Nahanni National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Hairy Woodpecker in Saguaro National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Hairy Woodpecker sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Hairy Woodpecker in Saguaro National Park?

May has the highest sighting rate for Hairy Woodpecker in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.

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