The red-headed woodpecker, Melanerpes erythrocephalus, is a captivating bird species known for its striking plumage and adaptable feeding habits. Its diet, as well as its decreasing population numbers, makes this bird a species of special interest.
Appearance and Habitat
Adult red-headed woodpeckers are unmistakable, patterned in solid black, white, and red. They have an entirely crimson head, a snow-white body, and half white, half inky black wings with big white wing patches. The red-headed woodpecker is a small woodpecker about 7-9 inches in length with a wingspan of 14-17 inches. They possess a long, strong, sharp bill and black eyes. Young birds have a brown head, dark bars across the white wing patch, with the brown gradually replaced by red during the first winter.
These birds can be found in forest edges, groves of tall trees, and around farm land. They avoid unbroken forest, favoring open country or at least clearings in the woods, orchards, open pine woods, groves of tall trees in open country. They are often conspicuous because of their strong pattern, harsh calls, and active behavior in semi-open country, and tend to occur in small colonies. Some are permanent residents, but others, especially from northern and western areas, travel to wintering areas in southeastern states.
Omnivorous Diet and Foraging Behavior
The red-headed woodpecker is considered an omnivore, and perhaps the most omnivorous of woodpeckers. This means their diet consists of a wide variety of food sources. They are opportunistic, employing several foraging techniques.
Their diet includes:
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- Insects: A large proportion of their diet, especially during the summer. They are adept at catching insects in the air, swooping down to snag them.
- Spiders and Earthworms: These invertebrates also contribute to their protein intake.
- Nuts and Seeds: Acorns and beechnuts are gathered in the fall and stored in holes and crevices for winter consumption.
- Berries and Fruits: Wild and cultivated fruits are readily consumed when available.
- Small Mammals: They rarely consume small rodents.
- Bird Eggs and Nestlings: On occasion, they may eat the eggs and nestlings of other birds.
- Bark: Sometimes they consume bark.
Unlike other woodpeckers, the red-headed woodpecker doesn't drill into trees to excavate insects as often. Instead, it perches on a tree branch or fence post and waits for flying prey to go by, or it forages on the ground for food. The red-headed woodpecker was found to forage the full range of a dead snag, from top to bottom, and showed no preference for small or large diameter snags, whereas a bird like the downy woodpecker will forage on small diameter trees at restricted ranges.
Food Storage
The red-headed woodpecker is one of only four species of woodpeckers that store food. It hides food in crevices in trees, under the bark of trees, in fence posts, and even under shingles in roofs! The red-headed woodpecker may even wedge a live grasshopper or beetle into a crevice to eat later! They are the only known North American woodpecker to store food and cover it with bark or wood.
Breeding and Nesting Habits
The males will establish a nesting site and entice females by calling and drumming. In resident birds, the male's winter territory may become the breeding territory. The male's winter roosting cavity may be used for a nest, or a new cavity may be excavated (mostly by the male); the female indicates acceptance of the site by tapping on the tree. The nest cavity is in a bare dead tree or dead limb, from a few feet above ground to 65' or higher.
The male and female will work together to carve out the nest hole, and they lay an average of 3-5 eggs between April - July, sometimes 3-7, rarely more. They will have one to two broods a year. The eggs are white. Both parents incubate the eggs for 12-14 days, with the male incubating at night, and both parents feed the chicks. The chicks will leave the nest in 24-31 days. Pairs may be starting on a 2nd nesting attempt while still feeding the fledglings from the first; the 2nd brood may be raised in the same nest but more often in a new cavity, freshly excavated.
Population Decline and Conservation
Unfortunately, the red-headed woodpecker has been decreasing in numbers for years. The reason is unknown. Once very common throughout the east, recent surveys show that this trend is continuing. Reasons for decline are not well known, but probably include loss of potential nest sites (owing to cutting of dead trees), competition with starlings for nest cavities. When swooping out to catch insects in flight, they are often struck by cars along roadsides. Habitat loss and competition for nesting sites with European Starlings are both contributors.
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Despite their adaptability, red-headed woodpeckers face challenges. Factors contributing to their decline include:
- Habitat Loss: The clearing of forests and the removal of dead trees reduce nesting and foraging opportunities.
- Competition: Aggressive interactions with the non-native European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) for nesting sites.
- Changes to Food Supply: Fluctuations in acorn and beech nut production can impact their winter survival.
However, the effect of restoration on small savannas has had tremendous positive effects on the red-headed woodpeckers. Clearing of invasive brush and trees has restored the savanna structure, and provides the vistas that red-headed woodpeckers use to pick out prey items. Girdling (removing the cambium and disrupting the flow of nutrients, which kills the tree) of select trees, including a clump of large diameter black willow, has allowed for the desirable characteristics that red-headed woodpeckers look for in a home: large diameter trees flushed of bark, clusters of dead snags, and a high density of dead limbs, especially limbs close to the ground. Lastly, the restoration to native plant communities in the surrounding landscape has made it less likely that starlings will attempt to disrupt nesting activities.
Red-headed woodpeckers are not an area-sensitive species, meaning they don't need large tracts of habitat for breeding success. Rather, a few dead trees mixed among some living oaks will do just fine. Thus, there is opportunity for private landowners and urban areas to restore populations of red-headed woodpeckers. The solutions prove to be rather simple: cutting invasive brush, and thinning and girdling trees.
Cultural Significance
This brilliantly colored bird has had a variety of colorful common names, such as white-shirt, half-a-shirt, shirt-tail bird, tricolored woodpecker, jellycoat, flag bird, and the flying checker-board. The Red-headed Woodpecker inspired Alexander Wilson to become an ornithologist, was one of the first birds that Ludlow Griscom learned to identify, and caught the fancy of Lawrence Kilham, who went on to a distinguished career studying woodpeckers. It was a war symbol of Cherokee Indians, and its head was used as a battle ornament, particularly by Plains tribes.
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