Utah Bird Profile
 Lewis's Woodpecker - Melanerpes lewis

Name Roots: (Gr. melas, "black"; herpes, "a creeper" - for Meriwether Lewis)

Other Photos - ID / Song
  

This species, which I think is one of the most beautiful birds in Utah, is listed as an uncommon permanent resident on the state checklist. Unlike most woodpeckers, it flies steadily and straight like a crow, and can often be observed flycatching from exposed branches. It is usually associated with open woodlands and riparian forests where there are many dead trees. However, in Utah County this woodpecker is usually found where there is abundant, mature Gambel’s Oak that supplies them with acorns. One of the most reliable places to observe this species in Utah County is east of the town of Salem and north of Woodland Hills where there is a band of Gambel’s Oak that lines the south part of the valley. Be sure to check out the telephone poles in this area, and also in the area of the Salem Cemetery because they seem to like “perching” on these exposed poles. Two other consistent localities has been Harker Canyon in the Sheeprock Mountains southwest of the small town of Vernon in Tooele County and Milburn, a small farming community, just north of Fairview in Sanpete County. In eastern Utah one of the most dependable localities has been Ouray National Wildlife Refuge. When visiting these sites be sure to check the large, dead, or dying, cottonwood trees. ~Merrill Webb
  

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