Are You a Tasty Bee: Gila Woodpecker Edition

A male Gila woodpecker looks down at a honeybee hovering above a saguaro blossom near the 118th Street Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona in May 2020

Do Gila woodpeckers eat honeybees? With the sun starting to rise this honeybee hovered over the saguaro blossom for so long that this male craned his neck out and started watching it. If he was thinking about jumping out and snaring it he never did, he stayed at the nest entrance until his mate returned. Which didn’t take long, the pair was pretty amazing to watch, even before sunup they were constantly bringing food back to the nest. I don’t know if they eat honeybees or not but there is an ample supply nearby when the saguaros are blooming.

A male Gila woodpecker looks out while a honeybee hovers above a saguaro blossom near the 118th Street Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona in May 2020

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