This is Bird Note.

The mountains ranging from Mexico into southeastern Arizona are home to some delightful species of birds.

Here's one, the Arizona woodpecker.

Found in the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountain Range in Mexico, their habitats stretch north into smaller ranges like the Chirikawa's and Wachukas in the U.S.

They share the mid-elevation pines and oaks with other border stradlers, like elegant trogans and blue-throated hummingbirds.

Arizona woodpeckers are brown overall, with a white and brown cheek and heavily marked white underparts,

unlike the black and white plumages typical of other North American woodpeckers.

These small woodpeckers forage by flying to the base of a tree and then spiraling up the trunk.

As a male carves out a nest cavity, he gives the female a progress report with a gliding flight display.

In this quirky courtship behavior,

the male turns himself into a paper airplane,

holding his wings steady and gliding towards his mate.

He taps on the nest tree to show off the excavation.

It's an unusual use for small bird's wings, but it helps Arizona woodpeckers garner the attention their newly carved homes deserve.

For Bert Note, I'm Ariana Rimmel.