We investigated the potential role of urban parks and other urban forest remnants in conservation of biodiversity by examining woodpecker occurrence in 6 urban parks in Hartford, CT, and at a more rural site. As primary cavity excavators, woodpeckers are indicators of a much broader suite of species that use cavities and deadwood resources for nesting, feeding, and roosting. The number of woodpecker species present in each park was correlated with total park area but not total wooded area, suggesting that some patches of wooded area in parks may be too small to support some species. Park area, basal area, and the number of trees ≥ 50% dead accounted for over 90% of the variation in woodpecker densities in the parks.