Red-headed Woodpecker at birding birds bird-opedia

Red-headed Woodpecker

General description.

The Red-headed Woodpecker is a very pretty bird. Unlike other woodpeckers, the Red-headed Woodpecker catches most of its food in flight or from the ground and rarely bores hole in trees to catch food. However, during breeding season the male will drill the nest cavity to expand it to a suitable size. This bird can most often be found perching low to the ground to catch prey or find nuts to store for winter. The Red-headed Woodpecker nests in cavities in trees but will also nest in birdhouses specifically designed for woodpeckers. The Red-headed Woodpecker is declining in population due to habitat loss and competition for nest sites with invasive species such as the European Starling.

Juvenile appearance.

Juvenile Red-headed Woodpeckers have brown heads and backs and their white chest is speckled with brown.

Flight pattern.

Direct with steady wing beats.

Breeding habits.

Monogamous.

Calls or song.

queark or queer, queer, queer and kerr-uck, kerr-uck

Population and distribution.

Uncommon and declining.

Nesting habits.

The Red-headed Woodpecker nests in trees and lays 4-7 white eggs in May.

Similar birds:

Birds in the same Family:

	Acorn Woodpecker
	Black-backed Woodpecker
	Downy Woodpecker
	Gila Woodpecker
	Gilded Flicker
	Golden-fronted Woodpecker
	Great Spotted Woodpecker
	Hairy Woodpecker
	Ivory-billed Woodpecker
	Ladder-backed Woodpecker
	Lewis's Woodpecker
	Northern Flicker
	Nuttall's Woodpecker
	Pileated Woodpecker
	Red-bellied Woodpecker
	Red-breasted Sapsucker
	Red-cockaded Woodpecker
	Red-naped Sapsucker
	Strickland's Woodpecker
	White-headed Woodpecker
	Williamson's Sapsucker
	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Finding & Feeding

Red-headed Woodpecker Habitats:

Red-headed Woodpecker Foods:

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