The Sonoran Desert is home to birds that thrive in the dry, mostly treeless, conditions there. The Gila Woodpecker is one of those birds. While they are often seen nesting in Arizona’s iconic Saguaro Cactus, they also spend time in the Palo Verde trees also native to the Sonoran Desert. The Palo Verde (Spanish for green stick) are aptly named as the trees are deciduous and trunks are green so much of the year, they do look like green sticks. We spotted this Gila Woodpecker in a leafless Palo Verde as it moved around the trunk searching for bugs.