Species

Red-bellied woodpecker

Melanerpes carolinus

The common, zebra-backed woodpecker of Georgia yards, whose name refers to a faint blush most people never see.

Photo Rhododendrites (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

Urban wildlife

At a glance

Size: About 23 to 27 cm long
Weight: About 55 to 90 g
Habitat: Woodland, suburbs, parks and yards
Diet: Insects, nuts, acorns, fruit and seeds
In Georgia: Common resident statewide
Voice: A rolling "churr" or "kwirr"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Black-and-white barred back; red cap from bill to nape in males, only on the nape in females; pale underparts with a faint reddish wash on the belly
Told apart from: Red-headed woodpecker, which has an all-red head and solid black back
Told apart from: Northern flicker, which is brown with a spotted breast
Where to look: Almost any wooded yard

Behaviour

Red-bellied woodpeckers probe bark for insects and wedge nuts and seeds into cracks to crack or store them. Their tongues can reach about 5 cm beyond the bill tip, with a barbed, sticky end.

Why they matter

Red-bellied woodpeckers dig cavities used later by other animals, from chickadees to flying squirrels. They have spread north in recent decades and are one of the most familiar woodpeckers in Georgia.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A cavity dug in a dead tree or branch
Eggs — Usually four or five
Incubation — About 12 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about 24 to 27 days
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Woodpeckers drumming on houses are usually signalling or feeding on insects in the siding; hanging reflective tape or netting over the spot usually ends it.
Dead branches left where safe provide nest sites.

Misconceptions

It is a red-headed woodpecker. Its red is only on the crown; the red-headed woodpecker's whole head is red.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Present	Drumming	Pairs forming	Nesting	Chicks	Young fledging	Second broods	Present	Storing nuts	Present	Present	Present

Where it lives

Recorded in 43 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

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