"Red-bellied Woodpecker" (Melanerpes carolinus)

"female"

"juvenile"

	Photograph by © Snow W. Frost
	Photograph by © Snow W. Frost
	Photograph by © Snow W. Frost
	Photograph by © Snow W. Frost
	Photograph by © Snow W. Frost
	Photograph by © Snow W. Frost
	Photograph by © Snow W. Frost
	Photograph by © Snow W. Frost
	Photograph by © Snow W. Frost
	"juvenile" Photograph by © Snow W. Frost

Red-bellied Woodpecker is named for its rosy-red bally patch. It is found in suburban yards to heavily forested areas. It hammers acorns and berries into crevices of trees for winter food. It will return to the smae tree to excavate a new nest below that of previous year.

The red-bellied woodpecker drills horizontal rows of holes in trunks of many species of trees; when it finds abundant sap flow, it drills vertical rows of holes to take advantage of it. It then returns repeatedly to drink sap from holes.





Size: 9 1/4"

Male: "Zebra-backed" woodpecker with a white rump. Red crown extends down the nape of neck. Tan breast with a tinge of red on belly, which is often hard to see.

Female: Same as male, but red just on nape.

Nest: Cavity; the female and male build; 1 brood per year. Nests in a hole in live tree, often an aspen that is diseased by a tinder fungus that decays the heartwood but not the sapwood. Sapsucker easily excavates the softened heartwood but leaves tough sapwood, which remains as outer shell protecting the nest.

Eggs: 5-6, white

Incubation: 12-14 days; female and male incubate, the female during the day, male at night.

Fledging: 24-27 days; female and male feed young.

Migration: non-migrator

Food: Nuts, fruit, comes to seed and suet feeders; drinks sap from trees and catches insects on the wing or on the ground.

Voice: A "churr" call; a "weep weep" call. Drumming is short burst followed by irregular beats, like "tatatat tatat tatat."

Habitat: Woods and orchards.





My personal notes...
These birds are so beautiful with their bright red head. In my yard, they are quick to grab something to eat and fly off...whereas, most of the other birds will eat their fill before leaving. They seem a lot more timid than other birds.









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