Birding at MOSI Outside: Red-Bellied Woodpecker

I sometimes wonder about the discussion that happened when naming the Red-Bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus). "Let's call it a Red-Headed Woodpecker," an assistant might have said to Linneaus as they compiled Systema Naturae. Linneaus flips a few pages. "No, can't do it. We already have one of those. What else you got?" The assistant considers, turning the taxidermied specimen in his hands.. "Well, if you look pretty hard, you can see this red patch on the belly." Linneaus grabs his pen. "That'll do. What's next?"

It's certainly true that the red patch on the head of a male Red-Bellied Woodpecker is eye-catching, but seen from the right angle, the red belly is definitely apparent. At any rate, you really can't confuse the two woodpeckers, since the Red Headed Woodpecker looks entirely different, and is much less common. Red-Bellied Woodpeckers are frequently seen in Central Florida, and are common sights at MOSI Outside.

Red-Bellied Woodpeckers are native to much of the eastern U.S., and generally live there year-round without migrating. Their main food source is insects, found by digging their sharp beaks into soft or hard tree bark. Their sticky tongue can extend up to two inches past the end of the beak, allowing them to grab prey from deep crevices. They supplement their diet with nuts and seeds, and are common visitors at suburban feeders, where they eat sunflower and safflower seeds, or suet.

Red-Bellied Woodpeckers are cavity-nesters, rarely using man-made nesting boxes. They dig a new cavity each year, although often in the same tree as the previous year. These birds are especially vulnerable to nest invasions by the invasive European Starling, which waits for the woodpeckers to do the hard work of excavating the nests and then steal the cavity, forcing the woodpeckers to start all over again. Red-Bellied Woodpeckers are good parents, training their offspring to find food in trees and feeders.

Find Red-Bellied Woodpeckers at MOSI Outside visiting the feeder or mining the trees nearby for insects. They are seen here year-round, and even when you can't spot them, you'll hear their distinctive rolling kwrr sound from somewhere nearby.