Their common name, “red-naped” refers to red head patches while “sapsucker” refers to their unique way of feeding. Red-naped sapsuckers are striking medium-sized woodpeckers found in western parts of North America. Red-naped Sapsucker Red-naped Sapsucker | Source: Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons The famous cartoon character, Woody Woodpecker, is said to have been based on pileated woodpeckers. Pileated woodpeckers are crucial for making tree holes that other bird and animal species use to nest. Try to attract pileated woodpeckers to your backyard by adding suet to your feeders, leaving dead trees for them to forage or roost there, or putting up a nest box to attract a breeding pair. They are rare around bird feeders the only way they visit them is if the winter is extremely cold. These black and red woodpeckers are omnivores that feed on insects (especially carpenter ants), fruits, nuts, and berries. Look for them hitting dead trees in pursuit of ants and making rectangular holes in the process. Males also have red lines on the side of their heads this is absent in females. They also have white lines on their throats and white on their wings. The word “pileated” comes from the Latin word “ pileatus” which means “capped” – pileated woodpeckers are primarily black with a prominent red crest on their heads. They breed in the forests of Canada, the eastern USA, and on the Pacific coast. Pileated woodpeckers are one of the largest woodpeckers native to North America. Attract red-breasted sapsuckers to your backyard by adding suet feeders or planting aspen, birch, or pine trees. For example, rufous hummingbirds will sometimes follow sapsuckers and take advantage of such food sources.Ī rather noisy species, red-breasted sapsuckers will make a variety of nasal calls and irregular drumming sounds. This is also important for other species of insects, birds, and mammals, as they also feed from those sap wells. They will make a hole and then come back later when the sap starts flowing. Sapsuckers got the name for drilling ring-like rows of shallow holes in trees called “sap wells” to get to sap with their brush-tipped tongues. Identify them in nature by their red heads and breasts, black backs with large white wing patches. Upright posture, rounded heads, chisel-like bills, and striking red heads make red-breasted sapsuckers one of the most prized for the US bird watchers. These medium-sized woodpeckers are common in the forests on the west coast of North America. Males will start digging their nests in dead tree trunks and softly tap on the tree to attract females if interested, they will join them, and the pair will finish the nest together.Īttract red-bellied woodpeckers to your backyard by adding sunflower seeds and different nuts to your bird feeder add suet during winter as they are also fond of it. Red-bellied woodpeckers are rather noisy and will often make drumming sounds by tapping with their beaks on hollow trees or roofs. Red-bellied woodpeckers have striped black and white backs, grayish underparts, red napes, and red on the center of their bellies males are red from the top of their heads to the beaks while the females are only red on their napes. Their bright colors and entertaining behavior make them an unforgettable sight just make sure not to confuse them with red-headed woodpeckers. These medium-sized woodpeckers are common in forests of the eastern USA. In case you want to attract red-headed woodpeckers to your backyard, make sure to add suet to your feeders. They will stuff it in tree cavities, crevices, and under tree bark. Red-headed woodpeckers are one of the four species of North American woodpeckers that store food by covering it with wood or bark. These birds are omnivores that also feed on seeds, fruits, berries, nuts, and occasionally small rodents. To catch the insects, red-headed woodpeckers will hammer at the tree bark, wait for them to come out, and catch them in flight they might even hunt for them on the ground. Due to such interesting looks, people have often called them “flying checkerboards”. Males and females are almost identical.Įven their scientific name refers to their red heads: the word “ erythrocephalus” comes from the Greek words “ eruthros” which means “red” and “ kephalos” which means “headed”. Recognize these conspicuous birds by their black backs, white wing patches and underparts, white and unstreaked bellies, and brilliant red heads. They breed across southern Canada and east-central parts of the USA from April to September, and around October migrate to their wintering grounds in southern parts of the USA. Red-headed woodpeckers are medium-sized woodpeckers commonly found around parks, forests, and woodlands of North America. Scientific Name: Melanerpes erythrocephalus.Woodpeckers With Red Heads Red-headed Woodpecker
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