Tree-clinging Birds
Red-headed Woodpecker
Melanerpes
erythrocephalus
Description
10" (25 cm). Whole head red, wings
and tail bluish black, with large white patch on each wing; white
underparts; white rump, conspicuous in flight. Immature resembles
adult, but has brown head, 2 dark bars on white wing
patch.
Voice
A loud churr-churr and
yarrow-yarrow-yarrow.
Habitat
Open country, farms, rural roads, open
park-like woodlands, and golf courses.
Nesting
5 white eggs placed without nest lining
in a cavity in a tree, telephone pole, or fence post.
Range
Breeds from Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and
Quebec south to Florida and Gulf Coast. Scarce in northeastern
states. Winters in southern part of breeding range.
Discussion
These woodpeckers are fond of open
agricultural country with groves of dead and dying trees,
particularly orchards. They often fly-catch, swooping low across a
highway or along the shoulder of a road after flying insects. They
store nuts and acorns, hiding them in holes and crevices. Red-headed
Woodpeckers frequently are driven off by aggressive European
Starlings, which occupy their nest holes, and by the removal of dead
trees.
Tree-clinging Birds