Gilded Flicker on Skeleton of Dead Saguaro - stock photo

A gilded flicker (Colaptes chrysoides) clings to the ribs of a dead saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea), using the decaying wood as a perch and possible nesting site. In the Sonoran Desert, saguaros provide critical habitat for birds even after death, but climate-driven die-offs threaten this life cycle. Protecting desert ecosystems ensures these keystone plants — and the species that depend on them — can endure.