Labels

Red-bellied Woodpecker

A Red-bellied Woodpecker perches on a branch. The top of its head and the back of its neck are red. It has a black beak, dark eyes, and gray-ish feathers around the eyes. Below the beak, there are some orange-tinted feathers which fade into white. Its wings are black, with white spots in loose rows, giving it a black and white spotted / striped look. Behind the bird, blurry bright green leaves and branches can be seen, where the sunlight touches the leaves in the background.
 Red-bellied woodpeckers are always fun to see. With red heads and bold black and white wings, they are truly beautiful birds. And the cool thing about them is that because they are comfortable in both woods and suburban areas, you can find them in so many places, including your own backyard.[1]

Red-bellied Woodpeckers like to peck wood (shocking—I know). It's a major part of their lives, from finding food to finding a mate. 

For food, they poke at the wood in search of insects.[2] As they hop and peck, they use their tails to help keep steady.[3] Their tongues can extend up to about 2 inches further than their beak, with a barbed tip and sticky spit to draw insects out.[4] Helping keep certain bug populations under control is one of the many benefits these birds provide.[2]

However, Red-bellied Woodpeckers also eat plants, which can make up more than half of their diet.[1] They're also happy to visit bird feeders: peanuts, peanut butter, sunflower seeds, and suet are all favorite feeder foods.[4, 5]

A male Red-bellied Woodpecker climbs a post. It is seen from the side. It has a red neck and top of its head extending down almost to its beak. It has a dark beak and dark eye. The parts of its face and chest that are visible are mostly white. It has black and white wings. It also has a dark tail that presses into the post. The post is varying shades of brown with some green. Behind the bird and the post, blurred leaves can be seen from plants that are low to mid-sized.
This male Red-bellied Woodpecker was climbing a post with a bird feeder.  Notice how its tail presses into the post!

Given the Red-bellied Woodpecker's talent, it's no surprise that they want to show off their skills to their special someone. Percussionists at heart, to find a date, males will drum away on materials they think can make a loud noise, including metal.[6] Then, when courting, male and female Red-bellies Woodpeckers peck side by side.[7]

Soon, it's time for them to find a place to nest in preparation for babies. So, what do you think the Red-bellied Woodpecker does?

You guessed it: peck more wood!

To make their nest, Red-bellied Woodpeckers excavate holes in dead trees.[1] Like the Northern Mockingbird, the male may start several nesting areas and let the female pick the one she prefers. The process to clear out a nest takes about a week to a week and a half.[6] Or, sometimes they'll find a natural hole in a tree to make their home in.[1]

These tree holes are prime real estate. Starlings are known to commandeer Red-bellied Woodpecker nests even before they're finished using them.[2] Assuming this doesn't happen, after the woodpeckers are ready to move out, they're great places for other birds to move in to. For example, the Tufted Titmouse can't carve out its own home, so to them, woodpecker-made houses look like a great deal.[8]

Two photos side by side. The left photo shows a Tufted Titmouse, a gray bird with a white-ish front. It has dark eyes and a small dark beak. It has a tuft of feathers that point upwards on the top of its head. It is sitting on a branch, tilting its head downward to look at something out of view. Behind it are several more blurry branches. One branch cuts in front of the Tufted Titmouse. On the right, a European Starling stands on a wire, such as a wire from a power or telephone line. Its back faces the viewer, and it faces the left. It has black feathers, yellowish legs, and a yelllow beak. The sky is blue, such as on a sunny day. Flecks of some comparatively lighter colors can be seen under the bird's wings, but overall, the bird has dark feathers.
On the left: A cute Tufted Titmouse, which likes woodpecker-made houses, since it can't carve out its own. On the right: A European Starling, which thinks squatting is an appropriate method for acquiring a house.

But back to the babies. The female Red-bellied Woodpecker will typically lay up to five eggs, and both parents incubate them for about two weeks.[1, 7] They take turns: the dad incubates the eggs during the night shift, and the mom takes most of the day shift.[1, 5] The babies will hatch about two weeks later, and both parents will help feed them.[1]

To tell a male Red-bellied Woodpecker from a female, look at their heads. The tops of the male's head will be completely red, while the very top of the female's head will be gray (they still have red on the back of their heads and necks).[9] Juvenile Red-bellied Woodpeckers, which you're likely to see in the summer around June and July, have gray heads with no red.[9, 10]

A side by side picture of two woodpeckers. The left photo shows a female Red-bellied Woodpecker, her back facing the camera. The back of her head is red, and the top of her head is gray. Her tongue is just visible as she puts her beak near the tree. The right photo shows a male Red-bellied woodpecker ruffling its feathers. Its head is titled downward towards the viewer, showing its red head.
On the left: A female Red-bellied Woodpecker with gray feathers on the very top of her head (you can also see her tongue sticking out of her mouth—you may need to enlarge it to see). On the right: A male Red-bellied Woodpecker, who has red feathers on the very top of his head. Both birds are climbing a live oak tree.

Since both males and females have red on their heads somewhere, why aren't they called Red-headed woodpeckers? The Red-headed Woodpecker is a different bird with a stunningly vibrant, completely red head (take a look on the Cornell Lab's website!).[11] The Red-bellied Woodpecker gets its name from a splash of red between its legs.[5] You can just see it in the video below.

Bonus question: Is the bird in the video a male or a female?


The Details:

Common Name: Red-bellied Woodpecker
Scientific Name: Melanerpes carolinus
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Seen: Climbing on a tree and climbing a post
Months: 
March 2024: First photo, male woodpecker in side-by-side, and video
February 2024: Tufted Titmouse
September 2023: Woodpecker on post
March 2023: European Starling, female woodpecker in side-by-side, 
Range: Red-bellied woodpeckers are mostly found in the eastern half of the United States, eastward of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Minnesota.[12] They can also be found in a small part of North Dakota. The northern side of their range stops in parts of New York and Massachusetts and extends partly into Canada. Check out this helpful range map from the Cornell Lab.

Learn More:

  1. Kaufman, K. (1996). Lives of North American birds. Houghton Mifflin.
  2. Missouri Department of Conservation. (n.d.) Red-bellied Woodpecker. 
  3. Maryland Department of Natural Resources. (n.d.). Maryland birds: Red-bellied Woodpecker. Maryland.gov.
  4. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Red-bellied Woodpecker: Overview. All About Birds.
  5. Alsop, F. J. (2002). Birds of North America (American ed.). Dorling Kindersley Limited. 
  6. Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. (n.d.). Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus). Texas Parks & Wildlife.
  7. Lowery, G. H. (1964). The woodpeckers: Jackhammers of the forest. In A. Wetmore, Song and garden birds of North America, pp. 79-97. National Geographic Society.
  8. Missouri Department of Conservation. (n.d.). Tufted titmouse. 
  9. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Red-bellied Woodpecker: Identification. All About Birds.
  10. Sibley, D. A. (2000). The Sibley guide to birds. Chanticleer Press.
  11. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Red-headed Woodpecker: Overview. All About Birds.
  12. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Red-bellied Woodpecker: Range map. All About Birds.

Email Post
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment