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Red Bellied Woodpecker (female)

Melanerpes carolinus

Photo by HeatherMiller
Published on Project Noah
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33.7748, -84.2963

Field Notes

Description:

People mistakenly call this the red headed woodpecker. The last picture shows the red belly streak.
This is the female. The red mow-hawk does not go onto the top of her head. It is instead grey on top and then some more red on the bridge of the beak area.

Notes:

As I've watched these woodpeckers this past week...this might be the half of the pair building the nest hole in the backyard. The one doing the pecking seems to be the male. The female supervises higher up on the tree.

Reference Links:

Red-bellied Woodpecker, Identification, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornith…

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (5)
HeatherMiller
These guys and gal are getting used to be being around. I always move slowly and often carry food for them....so I think they like me. Ha ha.
HemaShah
This bird is so cute! You are lucky to have them right in your own backyard!! Recently i saw a Yellow bellied Sapsucker. It belongs to the wood pecker family. Very pretty . it was very shy though.
HeatherMiller
I just discovered what I think is a pair of male and female building a nest in my backyard. I'm so glad that dead tree got to stay... Now it will be a woodpecker home this spring I hope.
KarenL
Love these guys! They are a regular at my feeders.

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Birds of the World
Mission
Backyard Birding Southeastern USA

Tags

Photographed
PublishedJanuary 17, 2012

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