Red-bellied Woodpecker

Common Name: Red-bellied Woodpecker

Scientific Name: Melanerpes carolinus

Appearance: The Red-bellied Woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker with a long bill, short wings, and a heavy body (Mass 2.2 oz. [63 g] , Length 9.5” [24 cm], Wingspan 16” [41 cm]). These birds have pale gray underparts, face, and chin with a black and white barred upperside that appears gray. In flight, they show white wing patches and a white rump. Red-bellied Woodpeckers also have white central tail feathers and a small reddish tinge low on the belly and between the legs. Males have a red crown and nape, while females have a gray crown and red nape. Juveniles are similar to adults but have a gray-brown head and an orange nape.

Habitat/Where to find: The Red-bellied Woodpecker is common in eastern U.S. forests and forest edges. They can be found in a wide range of habitats including southern pine forests, northern hardwood forests, open woodlands, suburbs, and parks. The range of the Red-bellied Woodpecker includes the eastern U.S. as far north as eastern New York and lower Michigan and Wisconsin. The western extent of their range includes central Kansas and eastern Texas. Birds in southern Florida are generally smaller, with less white in the tail, smaller white wing patches, and the males have brown foreheads.

Sounds: The Red-bellied Woodpecker is a very vocal species, especially in the late winter and spring. A common breeding season vocalization is the fluid “kwir” or “quirr” sound. Breeding pairs also use the “cha” call to maintain contact over long-distances and to express mild excitement. They have a distinctive laughing or chuckling call - a rapid series of “chig” notes. To express territoriality, they give aggressive “cha-aa-ah” or “chee-wuck” calls. Females approaching nests and mated birds nearby each other also give a “grr” call. Their drumming has medium speed and length with an even tempo.

Behavior: Red-bellied Woodpeckers are conspicuous and noisy, especially in the breeding season. They have an undulating, V-shaped flight pattern characterized by rapid wing beats and periods of roller-coaster flight with folded wings. Common displays include crest-raising, wing and tail spreading, and bowing displays. Courtship displays include mutual tapping and reverse mounting by the female.

Reproduction: The Red-bellied Woodpecker is a monogamous, solitary cavity nester. Nest cavities are excavated in 7-10 days in deciduous snags or poles, but they will also use birdhouses. Females lay 2 -6 white eggs incubated for 12 -14 days by both sexes. Males incubate and brood young at night, and the young fledge from the nest at 24 -27 days. Pairs produce a single brood in the north, and up to three broods in the south. The young are fed by both sexes. European Starlings will sometimes usurp the nest excavations. In Texas and Oklahoma, Red-bellied Woodpeckers hybridize with Golden-fronted Woodpeckers.

Food Habits: Red-bellied Woodpeckers consume a variety of foods including acorns, fruit, vegetables, seeds, and insects. They often work upward when foraging in trees, and sometimes forage on the ground. Occasionally they visit sapsucker drill wells for tree sap. Red-bellied Woodpeckers will visit feeders stocked with nuts, sunflower seeds, peanut butter, and suet. The young are mostly fed insects and berries by the adults.

Vital Statistics: Very little demographic data is available for Red-bellied Woodpeckers. The oldest known individual was a male banded as a nestling and resighted 12 years later. Sources of mortality include being killed by European Starlings while defending the nest cavity, being hit by automobiles, being shot by humans, being killed in traps, being killed by extreme weather, and being stuck in pine resin.

Migration/Dispersal: Adults expel juveniles from the natal territory in the late summer, but it is unknown how far juvenile travel before establishing their own territories. Males show some site fidelity, but breeding pairs disband in the fall or winter and reform in the late winter or spring. Populations of Red-bellied Woodpeckers appear to be expanding northward into southern Canada.