This species is one of the easiest
birds to identify. It's the only woodpecker with a completely red head
and neck. The segmented markings become even more striking in flight,
resembling stripes of red, blue black and white. It's o wonder why some
back yard bird watchers call it the "flag bird" or "Patriotic bird".
Common Names: Red headed woodpecker, flag bird, patriotic bird, half a shirt.
Scientific Name: Melanerpes erythrocephalus
Family: Woodpecker
Distinctive Markings: Red feathers completely cover head and neck. Male and females look the same.
Distinctive Behavior: Swoops from perches to catch flying insects nd forages along the ground for food. Chisels into trees to create nesting cavities.
Song: Harsh "queeah, queeah, queeah".
Sizes:
Length: 8 1/2 to 9 1/2 inches
Wingspan: 17 in.
Breeding:
Eggs: 4 - 5, plain white eggs
Nesting: Spring
Lifestyle:
Habitat: Open woodlands. Seeks out areas free of underbrush.
Diet: Insects, berries and nuts.
Some feathers for thought:
The
red headed woodpecker isn't as noisy or common as some its cousins,
such as the acorn and red bellies varieties. And while many of its
relatives drill into dead wood trees in search of food, red headed
woodpeckers rarely forage this way. Instead, they're often seen
perched on a fence post or in a small tree, waiting to dart out after
the insects that make up half their diets. Hopping long the ground or
in shrubs looking for bugs, berries and nuts. They often hide some of
their food in a
crevice to eat later.
Red headed wood peckers make their
homes in open deciduous forests and prairies with wood lots from
Montana south to New Mexico and east to the Atlantic Ocean. They're
found nearly everywhere in this region, with the exception of New
England and are most common in the Southeast and Midwest. They will
migrate when food is scarce to the south.
When the male establishes its
territory in spring, it utters a harsh, "queeah, queeah, queeah" call
to attract a male, and drums on the side of a tree to draw attention.
The pair soon begins excavating a nesting site in a dead tree or stump,
the process could take weeks. They use their strong beaks to hollow out
an area from 8 to 24 inches deep. The work together to incubate 4
- 5 pure white eggs which are layed on a bed of wood chips. The male
has night duty while the female sits near by.
The chick are very much like their
parents, except their head feathers are brown at this point. They get
those bright red feathers over the course of the first winter. To
attack these beautiful birds put sunflowers or beef suet.
Did You Know:
They like peanut butter.
Its alarm note is unique, a distinct buzzing noise that some have
compared to the sound of a thumb being rubbed against the teeth of a
comb.
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