Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Melanerpes carolinus

Least Concern

Quick Facts

Kingdom: Animalia
Abundance: Common
Habitat: Forest
Activity: Diurnal (Active during day)
Lifespan: Up to 12 years

A medium-sized woodpecker that has a light grey face and belly and a black back, wings, and tail with white spots throughout. Males have a red crown and nape, while females have only a red nape. The small red patch on the lower abdomen that gives this woodpecker its name is difficult to see. Like most woodpeckers, it is beneficial to humans, consuming large numbers of insects.

Diet

Red-bellied woodpeckers are omnivorous. They eat a wide variety of fruits, nuts, seeds, berries and tree sap, as well as arboreal arthropods and other invertebrates.

Activity Pattern

Diurnal (Active during day)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Genus: Melanerpes
Species: Melanerpes carolinus

Scientific Name

Melanerpes carolinus

Common Name

Red-bellied Woodpecker
Breeding Season
Begins in early May
Lifespan
Up to 12 years

Behavior

Red-bellied Woodpeckers are diurnal and solitary, except during the breeding season when they consort with mates and offspring. Walking, climbing and hopping are all forms of locomotion used by red-bellied woodpeckers. An interesting form of locomotion used by woodpeckers is called "hitching," hopping upward along a vertical surface such as a tree trunk interspersed with pauses to look for food.

Activity Pattern

Diurnal (Active during day)

Habitat Types

Forest

Geographic Distribution

Red-bellied woodpeckers are found in the eastern half of the United States. Their range extends east from the wooded portion of the Great Plain states to the Atlantic coast and from the Gulf of Mexico to southern portions of Ontario and northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and New York.

Local Abundance

Common

Conservation Status

Least Concern

This species is widespread and abundant. No immediate threat to survival.

How You Can Help

  • Report sightings to contribute to population monitoring
  • Support habitat conservation efforts
  • Follow guidelines when observing wildlife
No field notes or observations available for this species.

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