His Majesty, The King

Gila woodpeckers feed primarily on insects, cactus fruit and berries. Although they do not use them immediately, waiting first for the sap to harden, Gila woodpeckers excavate cavities in cacti and trees as nesting sites. Once abandoned, the cavities are occupied by reptiles, rodents and small birds like kestrels, elf owls, flycatchers and wrens.

In the desert, the woodpeckers perform the important ecological function of removing unhealthy flesh from the saguaro cactus. Some insects on which it feeds carry diseases, harmless to the bird, which damage the cactus and leave discolorations. The marks signal “Here be larvae” to the bird, and as it excavates the insects, it also cuts away the diseased tissue. As the sap hardens, the cactus is healed, and the excavation becomes a convenient nesting site.

Populations may be in slight decline because of human development of the Sonoran Desert and competition for nest sites with European starlings. A decrease in the Gila woodpecker population would damage the entire ecosystem, since its nest sites are widely utilized by other species, and it may be an important pollinator of the saguaro cactus.

Predators of the gila woodpecker can include bobcats, coyotes, hawks, house cats, snakes and fox.
 
The Gila Woodpecker is noisy and conspicuous. I always know when this one's around!  Using noisy high pitched “yip” sounds, they  call to each other, as well as, advertise their territories.

Woodpeckers will loudly bang on metal chimneys and pipes to declare their territories and to attract mates.  I believe it was this particular woodpecker who did it on my roof last year.   It reverberated throughout my entire house.  It has since stopped.  I should be collecting rent from him.

Check out yesterday's mystery bird !