Where's the Red Again?
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Where’s the Red Again?
Today’s special animal friend is the red-bellied woodpecker, Melanerpes carolinus, a common visitor to our bird feeders and our nearly dead yellow poplar tree. You might think, when you see a red-bellied woodpecker, that it’s the red-headed woodpecker, because it has a broad, red stripe over its head and down its neck, and you could totally miss the muted red mark where its navel would be if birds had a navel. However, the red-headed woodpecker, Melanerpes erythrocephalus, has a completely red head and neck, as if it were held by its feet and dipped into red paint.
The red-bellied woodpecker has a white front, except for the red dab, and elegantly barred black and white wings. The sexes are very similar, but the male has more red on his head. Both are about 9 inches high with a wingspan of 13-16 inches. They are quite attractive in a modest way:
Red-bellied woodpeckers do not migrate. Their year-round range covers most of the United States east of the Great Plains, except the most northerly areas of Maine and the upper Midwest. They like wooded habitats but aren’t picky about the kind of trees. They are more numerous in the southern part of their range and at elevations below 2,000 feet. They are omnivorous, eating a variety of small invertebrates – especially spiders and insects, including larvae – but also lizards, nestling birds, and minnows. The plant-based part of their diet includes nuts, acorns, seeds, and fruit.
They breed in late spring . A male will begin excavating a nest hole in a tree trunk, branch, or fence post. They like to have a new hole each year, so he may dig out the new hole near last year’s nest site. To attract a female, he will “drum” by tapping around the hollow he’s digging. A female who thinks he’s appealing will join him in drumming and then help him finish digging the hole.
They will also use human-provided nest boxes. Females lay 2 to 6 eggs and may have up to three clutches in a season. The eggs hatch in 12 days. Both parents feed the hatchlings, and the young are fledged in about a month. Predation of eggs and hatchlings is common, which is why a pair may have (math math) up to 18 young in a season if food is abundant.
Red-bellied woodpeckers are a species of Least Concern. Local populations expand and contract based on local conditions, but the species as a whole is increasing in population. They are expanding their range northward.
They have a wide variety of sounds and can be heard during much of the year except in the coldest weather.
Good morning, everyone. It's Envirothon day, so I need to get the youth scrambled in order to arrive early so that Brenda doesn't have a total conniption.
Adorable. We see the red-bellied version often while country road biking. The red-headed version doesn’t seem as abundant. My favorite is the pileated version but one has to trek north to see them. You know there’s one nearby when you hear them pecking!