Red-Headed Woodpecker
Melanerpes erythrocephalus
Also known as: Flag Bird, Flying Checker-Board, Jellycoat, Shirttail, Shirt-Tail Bird
About This Species
This woodpecker favours open woodland, groves and dead-tree snags, where its striking crimson head, white body and black-and-white wings make it one of the most conspicuous woodpeckers in its range. It forages both by drilling into bark and by catching flying insects in the air, and it also caches acorns and other food in bark crevices for later use. Spring and summer are best for observation, when pairs are active around nest cavities in dead or dying trees.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Observe nest cavities from a distance rather than approaching the tree directly, since repeated disturbance near a nest hole can cause adults to delay feeding visits.
- This species is protected under migratory bird legislation in North America, and disturbing active nests or removing dead snags used for nesting can be a legal as well as an ecological concern.
- Leaving dead and dying trees standing where safe to do so is one of the most effective ways to support this species' habitat.
LCAvesPiciformesPicidae
Seasonal Activity
1,541,916 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Picidae
Photo
(c) Greg Lasley, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Greg Lasley
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.