Wonders of Wildlife: Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Scientific Name: Melanerpes carolinus

Found in Alabama: Statewide

Diet: Omnivore (eats plants and animals)
Monarch Butterfly
Red-bellied Woodpecker in Habitat
Laura Perlick - USFWS
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Learn more about...
 
Classification Button
Identification
Adaptations Button
Life Cycle
Habitat Needs
Ecological Role Button
 

  
  
CLASSIFICATION
 
What type of animal am I?
  • I am a vertebrate (an animal with a spine or backbone).
  • I am warm-blooded, so I can control my body temperature.
  • I have feathers on the outside of my body that keep me warm.
  • I breathe with lungs just like you.
  • I have 2 legs.
  • I have wings.
Scientists use basic traits to group animals into different taxonomic classes.  

For a taxonomic classification chart comparing key traits of common backyard wildlife,
CLICK HERE!
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is a BIRD!
 





















  



 
IDENTIFICATION TIPS
   

Size: 
  • Range in length from 9 - 10 inches long
  • Weigh 2 - 3 ounces
  • Wingspan is 13 - 16 inches
   
Key 
Characteristics: 
  • Distinct black and white stripes on back 
  • Red on the back of the neck 
  • Large beak 
  • Small red spot on belly (sometimes difficult to see)
   
 
Males Females Young
  • Red on forehead, crown, and back of the neck
  • Only have red on the back of the neck
  • Lack red on forehead and crown
  • Lack any red coloration on the head
  • Black and white stripes are less distinct\
Male red-bellied woodpecker
Male Red-bellied Woodpecker
Wikimedia - Darton Williams
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Female red bellied woodpecker
 Female Red-bellied Woodpecker
Jim Hughes (www.jimhphoto.com)
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Juvenile Red-bellied Woodpecker
flickr - mirsasha
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ADAPTATIONS
 
PHYSICAL ADAPTATIONS
 
  Woodpeckers have structures to help them balance on tree trunks:
  • Woodpeckers spend a lot of time moving along tree trunks and maneuvering around branches.
  • They have some adaptations that allow them to easily move and balance on these vertical structures.
  • Their feet are specialized for clinging to trees.  While most songbirds have three toes that face forward and one toe facing the back, woodpeckers have zygodactyl feet. This means two toes face forward and two face backward, giving them extra support when moving along tree trunks.
  • Woodpeckers also have stiffened tail feathers. 
  • When perched on a vertical surface, they lean against these stiffened tail feathers to help them balance.
 
  Woodpeckers have structures to protect themselves while they drum:
  • Woodpeckers are often seen drumming against tree trunks and other hard surfaces.
  • They have several specialized structures to help protect themselves.
  • They have strong neck muscles and thickened skulls to help protect their organs from any damage.
  • Woodpeckers have special, bristle-like nose feathers near their nostrils to protect themselves from breathing in any wood chips.
  • All birds have a translucent inner "eyelid" called a nictitating membrane. Woodpeckers use this membrane like a pair of safety goggles!  They are able to close this eyelid over their eye while drumming which protects their eyes from any stray woodchips.
 
  Birds can fly:  
  • Birds have feathers on their wings rather than hair like humans. Feathers are light, waterproof, and are adjustable for flight control.
  • Birds have lightweight beaks instead of heavy jaws and teeth like humans.
  • Most bones in their bodies are hollow or honeycombed, making them very lightweight. Some of their bones are fused for increased efficiency and lighter weight. 
  • Birds have a larger and more efficient respiratory system than humans do since flight is a physically-demanding activity.  
 
  Birds can digest whole prey:  
  • Birds do not have teeth and are not able to chew food. Because of this, they have a specialized part of their stomach, called a gizzard, that helps with digestion by grinding food.
  • The small stones, sand, and grit that birds pick up while they are eating are stored in the gizzard.
  • Once food is swallowed and makes its way to the gizzard, it is pulverized by the grit and stomach muscles. 
  • Some birds like chickens, ducks, and turkeys have thick, muscular gizzards. Other birds that eat food items that are easy to digest, such as nectar and soft-bodied insects, have thin-walled gizzards.
 
   Woodpeckers have special tongues: 
  • Red-bellied woodpeckers find their food sources by probing, pecking, scaling tree bark, and excavating (digging). 
  • Small food items are swallowed whole while larger food items are smashed against trees to break them into manageable sizes. 
  • The red-bellied woodpecker’s tongue is long, pointed, and barbed, and contains a sticky substance. This makes it easier to grab insects from tree cavities and crevices. 
  • Males have a slightly thicker and longer tongue than females which allows them to access different resources than the females.  
red-bellied woodpecker tongue
Red-bellied Woodpecker Tongue
  Tomfriedel (www.birdphotos.com)
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BEHAVIORAL ADAPTATIONS
   
  Woodpeckers are diurnal: 
Red-bellied Woodpecker Storing Food in Tree
Dreamstime
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  • They are active during the day (diurnal).
 
  Woodpeckers store their food: 
  • The red-bellied woodpecker is known to store foods like nuts and seeds in the cracks and crevices of trees. 
  • Storing food in the cracks gives the woodpeckers a place to feed without having to compete for limited resources.  
  • If a food item is too large for a specific location, the bird uses its hard beak to break it into smaller pieces before storing them in cracks.
 
























 
 
  
     
Life Cycle Stages of the Red-bellied Woodpecker
     

Nest: 
  • Nest in a cavity, a hollowed out portion of a tree.
  • The cavity, living space, is usually around 9 inches by 13 inches.  
  • Eggs are laid on wood shavings that were created when excavating the nest.
Red-bellied Woodpecker Feeding Baby
Marina Scarr
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Eggs: 
  • Females lay 2 - 6 hard-shelled eggs per brood.
  • Eggs are white are reach around 1 inch long.
  • They can have 1 - 3 broods per year.
     

Young: 
  • Babies hatch from the eggs after 12 days.
  • When they hach, they do not have any feathers.
  • Females tend to brood (sit with the young to keep them warm) during the day, and the males brood at night.
  • They remain in the nest for 24 - 27 days until they have grown in their first set of feathers and can forage on their own.
     

Life Span: 
  • Can live up to 12 years


 
 
NATURAL
Habitat Needs		 ADULTS  YOUNG
Food
  • Consume more fruit than insects. 
  • Feed on wild berries, acorns, pinecones, nuts, and insects including ants, grasshoppers, beetle larvae, flies, and spiders.
  • Occasionally they will eat minnows, lizards, and other nestling birds.
  • Parents start by feeding them small insects that are broken up by parent.
  • They are not fed by regurgitation (spitting up of food from parent to baby).
  • As they grow, they are fed larger insects and fruit.
  • Young depend on the parents for food while in the nest.
  • After fledging (leaving) from the nest, they continue to rely on their parents for food for up to 10 weeks.
Water
  • Food items provide the majority of the necessary hydration.
  • They are also known to visit hummingbird feeders.
Shelter
  • Can be found in forests and woodlands in medium to large trees.
  • Prefer areas near rivers and wetlands.
  • At night, they roost (rest) in cavities (holes) that are shallower than cavities used to raise young.
  • Nests are made in cavities (holes) of old dead trees or posts.
  • Young birds remain in the nest for around 24-27 days.
Places to Raise Young
  • Excavate cavities (dig holes) in old, dead trees, dead tree limbs, or wooden posts.
  






























 


 


 









 
BACKYARD
Habitat Needs		 ADULTS YOUNG
Food
  • Provide feeders filled with suet (solid material of composed of a fat source and seeds).
  • Keep live trees and tree snags for source of insects.
  • Do not spray pesticides that might harm insect populations. 
  • Adults will guide young to food sources.
Water
  • Food items provide the majority of the necessary hydration.
  • They are also known to visit hummingbird feeders.
Shelter
  • Keep dead trees and snags to provide more natural habitat.
Places to Raise Young
  • Keep dead trees to provide a place for creating a cavity in which to nest.
  


 






















 


 

  
ECOLOGICAL ROLE
   
Animals play an important ecological role in the health of habitats and ecosystems.
   

Food Source:
  • Adult red-bellied woodpeckers are a food source for Cooper’s hawks and rat snakes.
  • Eggs and the young are commonly eaten by red-headed woodpeckers, European starlings, and rat snakes. 
Predation by cats is the number one direct, human-caused threats to birds in the U.S. and Canada. In the U.S., as many as 2.4 billion birds are killed by cats each year. To read more about this, CLICK HERE!
   

Create Animal  Homes: 
  • Red-bellied woodpecker holes that are no longer being used will be taken up by other cavity nesting species including red-cockaded woodpeckers, flying squirrels, European starlings, and several others.
   

Competition: 
  • The red-bellied woodpecker uses the same resources as a variety of other birds and can be considered a competitor with many species. 
  • Many of these species are common and are not a conservation concern - such as blue jays and several other species of woodpecker. 
  • However, the red-cockaded woodpecker, an endangered species (low in numbers and at risk of no longer existing), can only survive in certain habitats, and the red-bellied woodpecker sometimes displaces (moves) them.
   

Seed   Dispersal: 
  • Birds that eat fruits are responsible for spreading the seeds of the plants that they came from.
  • Sometimes birds simply carry the seed away from the tree before dropping it.
  • More often, after birds eat fruits and berries, they poop them out, covered in a natural fertilizer.
  • This helps new plants grow in their new locations. 
  • This form of seed dispersal (movement of seeds from one place to another) is an important part of plant reproduction and survival.


 
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