Red-bellied Woodpecker
Melanerpes carolinus
Family Picidae

Recognizable by its bright red head markings, the red-bellied woodpecker often arrives at feeders to take nuts, especially in wintertime.

Identifying Traits (male):

• Back “zebra-patterned” with alternating bars of black and white
• Underparts off-white to buffy brown
• Vibrant red nape and cap
• Occasionally, dull rosy wash on underparts is visible
• Clear white rump
• Short, stiff tail with black chevrons higher up, entirely black for most of lower length past rump
• Short, straight black bill
• Juvenile:  lacks red on head; head normally a dull brown
• Size: 24 cm (9”)
• Weight: 75 g (2.6 oz)

Identifying Traits (female):

• Back “zebra-patterned” with alternating bars of black and white
• Underparts off-white to buffy brown
• Vibrant red nape, but cap pale grey
• Occasionally, dull rosy wash on underparts is visible
• Clear white rump
• Short, stiff tail with black chevrons higher up, entirely black for most of lower length past rump
• Short, straight black bill

Voice: The red-bellied woodpecker’s call is a curious, rolling querr? or quir?  Its song is a squeaky series of double notes: chiv-a, chiv-a, chiv-a.

Habitat: Red-bellied woodpeckers will live anywhere there are trees, such as groves and woodlands.  Not surprisingly, they have also adapted well to suburban living.

Range: The red-bellied woodpecker is a year-round resident of the eastern United States as far north as New Hampshire, Vermont, and northern New York.

Interesting Facts: The red-bellied woodpecker often creates “caches” of food by drumming rows upon rows of small holes and wedging a single nut or seed into each one.