The Red-bellied Woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker found in the Eastern United States and forest areas. They also come to bird feeders. One hangs upside down and uses his beak and long tongue to get past the squirrel barriers to get bird seed from our back yard feeder.
The Red-bellied has red feathers under white ones on their bellies, but are easily identifiable by the red on head tops (cap) and nape of necks and black and white barred backs. Not to be confused with the Red-headed Woodpecker, which has an all red head and solid black back, the Red-Bellied is much more abundant.
They often nest in tree and wood cavities and are quite territorial. Wood cavities such as this are prime spots. They have quite a problem with European Starlings robbing these nest sites. This mother (in the photo above) has a tasty spider for her chick, but it took a few tries before the chick ate the spider. Like many birds such as the Hummingbird, insects are an important source of protein in the diet of Woodpeckers and you will often hear them drumming on bark hunting for insects, but they most commonly pick along to forage the bark for insects as they “hop” up trees, particularly pines and hardwoods.
They have a fairly wide range of food sources and like Loquat fruit.
Males and females have a slightly different range of food as males have longer tongues that can get food from crevices. This helps the species be successful and adaptable to changing weather and food conditions. We are on the edge of their "western" territory. Let's hope they find food and water to continue in our area--fortunately areas just east of here have had more rain this year.
To hear the various kinds of sounds Red-bellied Wookpeckers make besides drumming, hear the kwirring and various sounds by visiting Cornell's All About Birds. If you see a Red-Bellied flying erratically, it's likely a young bird practicing evasive moves. The bird above is likely immature and just stretching it's wings and beginning to get it's red cap and nape . . . the face has not "paled" yet. Overall, the Red-Bellied can appear "pale" overall after maturity.
Photos copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. View her full photo album, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link.
Learn how to attract birds to your garden, enjoy the Quail Valley Garden's Club visit and tour of Margaret's backyard.
Blog edited by Janice Scanlan.
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